Accidents Happen
by LoVeRsOfLiFe
Summary: There's a new girl in Hogwarts who should never have been admitted. She's here for another reason & everyone wants to know what it is. As they try to uncover her they in turn discover themselves. Can she do the same for the cold blonde prince of Slytherin? A tale about love, friendship, & understanding all revolved around the dangers of mystery, & a few well placed accidents.
1. It Happened So Long Ago

**Accidents Happen - Prologue**

'_What a beautiful day it was'_, she thought to herself, all so beautiful before he came. How he found her she did not know, only that he was not welcome within her home. Three and a half **years**, she thought, almost four years she had lived peacefully on this beautiful island without fear or worry of what had become of the world she once lived in. the only thing she ever had to worry about was whether there would be too much rain or too little each year, that the warm tides of the ocean will one day reach too high into the town, or if the boats that usually brought in fresh preserves were to arrive into port late or not. All the little worries that meant she had finally achieved some normality into her life. All until they found her again. She had to remind herself that they weren't the ones initially after her; no, those people were something she would always look over her shoulder for and one eye open every night, but these others…they in their own rights had a reason to be within her wary thoughts when she thought about the world she left in hopes of peace.

She had been enjoying the warm breeze that danced around her form as she attended to her garden the neighbours had helped her make. Sweet, kind-hearted people lived on this island who didn't know who she was, and that was why she relocated to such a place; it was safe, always warm, but oh so beautiful. This land was secluded from most of the world, where the weather was always nice no matter the season; it was nearly an uncharted island that only relatives knew to visit as such…but she no longer had any family, therefore no reason for a visit. So with every right she never expected for him to show up to her door on such a lovely day; at least not as polite as he did. The moment she felt the wind die down and the world seemed to grow silent for a moment she _knew_ something had happened, knew someone was _here_, she just didn't expect her troubles would be from **him**. After all, he's never shown her presence as 'welcomed' even in their brief encounters, so she never thought he'd be knocking on her door so much as blasting in unannounced and being rid of her for the mistake she made long ago…

When she felt the presence, time had slowed for an instant and her heart skipped a beat before everything awoke and continued on as it were, but she quickly dropped her basket of goods on her flower bed and ran back into her small cottage, raven hair flying behind her as she dashed to lock her doors and windows while looking all throughout her house to make sure the other occupants had not come home unexpectedly early. Relieved only for a moment to find no one else she was suddenly startled to hear three sharp raps on her front door from the top floor in one of three bedrooms, due to the stillness of the house. She quickly but shakily made her way down to her front door she had only locked mere seconds ago and slowly unlocked it with a heavy heart. Doing another quick sweep of the quiet home with her eyes, and holding back tears she thanked the lord that no one else was there to see her weakness as she would have been taken from such a lovely dream, that it would be only her, that they wouldn't think to search for more with her standing within their grasp. Taking a deep breath and holding her head up high, she opened the door to face her doom.

She startled yet again to see who had actually stood at her door, and felt a small ounce of relief as well as worry when she took note of the light hair and cold steel blue eyes staring down at her. She felt her mind wander into thoughts of another younger man she knew with the similar features and sadly wished it were he who had come to find her. She may have been rejoiced, but seeing as it wasn't; it was obvious this wasn't going to be a very pleasant visit, whatever the reason. But her confusion turned to fear and dread when she realized he must have _**known**_, known almost instantly in fact the day she left what had happened long ago. He came to expose her.

_"Won't you come in?"_ she spoke softly to him.

"_I oblige to your invitation."_ His cold voice almost sounded charmed.

Walking into her home with his black cloak trailing behind him, black cane tapping rhythmically in front of him as he walked, assuredly into her lobby, head high and broad shoulders back with a straight stance, he moved slow as he observed with a skeptic eye her home and to her surprise nodded to himself with a look of approval in his eyes.

"_Won't you follow me into the living room?"_ she gestured to the room down the short hall to the right. He brought his eyes unto to her form again and she refused her body to flinch at his intense gaze. He gave another nod of approval, not knowing whether to the change of scenery or her backbone to not look away from him, probably both.

_"Yes, that would be most appropriate. We have much to discuss."_ Her sense of dread increased.

Leading him down the hall and into the living room she felt his eyes on her every step of the way until they were both seated on separate sides of her small glass coffee table and she stared back into his calculating eyes. This wasn't going to be a light conversation of smiles and laughter or a relaxing chat between acquaintances, no she knew he came here to do business, and it was obvious he wouldn't leave until it was settled.

_"I have tea freshly made in the kitchen, would you like a cup?"_ she asked.

"_Yes, that will do nicely." _He replied. She was about to stand when he flicked his hand in a fast motion suddenly and she braced herself for what he might do. _"Remain seated my dear, I'll fetch the tea."_ Then her china set lay itself out in front of them and a plate of small sandwiches she had prepared earlier had hovered between them. He sat the smooth black wood of his wand down beside him on the glass surface of the table.

_ A wand_, she thought. _A weapon_, she concluded. Of course it was something to be wary of, since he was a wizard, a quite powerful one at that; both with his social status in his world as well as a magic wielder.

She let a soft smile grace her generous lips, even with him watching her again._ Magic. Never thought it could be so evil and cold_, she thought. Dropping her smile and picking up the teapot she expertly poured the tea into the two cups in front of her and fluidly stirred her own with sugar and a dash of cream as he did the same, but without lifting a finger to do so.

_ "I see you have a well-mannered grace about the way you carry yourself in front of a guest." _he commented as he watched her hands move.

"_It helps to keep up with old habits in some cases." _She said.

"_Important members of society would admire such habits."_ He almost sounded sincere.

"_If I were to entertain such guest, yes."_ She sipped her tea.

"_Hmm..."_ he sipped as well, and there was silence as he begrudgingly enjoyed the tea. It was a muggle style of honey and some sweet smelling flower; perhaps rosemary or a peach blossom. If he ever managed to swallow his monstrous pride he'd ask her about it, for it truly was divine.

The silence was short-lived when he sat his cup down and gave her a levelled stare. _"There is a reason I am here."_ He stated.

She sat her cup down as well and folded her hands gently in her lap, and crossed her ankles under her seat. _"I have no doubts. You never did seem like a man who would waste his time on something or someone not of his importance."_ She matched his stare, back straight, shoulders back. He noticed.

_"Very observant of you. It goes to show that you, as you should always, pay attention to the finer details."_ He said.

"_I also realise that deluding myself into thinking I could ever be seen as important to yourself would make me foolish."_ She paused, _"Therefore you must be here due to the importance of… our agreement – well rather _my_ agreement – towards your family a few years prior. It has been a while without incident that I have been left to my own devices since then. I only wonder why it is you have searched me out, and more so for how long, I might ask?"_ she gave him a quizzical look.

'_Clever girl.'_, he thought. _"Let it never be said that you are not a very smart young woman. As well as charming when distributing cheek."_ He was amused, and tilted his head to the side as such. She thanked him but didn't smile. _"As to answer your question, I must say I am impressed. It took me and many of my sources two years to find your general location, and even then it took a long period of surveillance to actually deduct where your residency was. I had started looking for you shortly after your departure from London."_ He sounded as if he were proud of her.

"_I am unsure to be flattered by your words or not, but I thank you all the same, even if you still managed to find me in the end."_ She really was proud of herself, since she had managed to be kept under the radar of people who had magic to help them, she was assured now that she had the ability to elude _others_ of her whereabouts, and keep her beloveds safe from harm.

His baritone chuckle startled her, but she caught herself before he did. _"My, my…"_ he said. _"If only you were a witch."_ She didn't know what to make of that comment so she stayed silent as he shook his head in wonder. _"Judging by your directness I am to assume you know why I'm here."_

He paused again as he looked at her. She took another sip of her tea and didn't meet his eyes.

"_It appears you weren't quite truthful with our agreement before you left – quite suddenly Miss Ete – " _she cut him off then.

"_Pardon me for speaking out of turn Lord Malfoy. However, I feel I need to clarify that I was in fact whole-heartedly truthful with my claim to the arrangements we made almost four years ago."_ She in turn paused, as he continued with his statement.

_"But you hadn't mentioned_ all_ the matters that needed to be attended to."_

He watched her stare down at her cup as they both remained silent. After a while the stillness rang to loud in their ears, and he was about to speak before he heard her soft reply.

_"Why does this matter so much to you now?"_ she looked up at him with watery clear eyes. _"Why would you care, after_ three and a half years_ about something that shouldn't be worth your time – _I'm _not worth your time!"_ she was nearly in hysteric as her breaking heart beat faster in her chest.

He looked at her calmly, as a feeling of pity for the young beauty almost reached his steeled stare. _"I am not only here for my own reasons. My own superior has also been…keeping an eye on new potentials within and _out_ of our inner circles….and he found your _charges_."_ He left the sentence there and she caught his hidden meaning immediately.

Her heart froze.

"_I'm __**begging**__ you not to take them from me."_

She whispered quietly. He almost didn't hear her as she dropped her head down again. _"This is not our war. It's _yours_. Innocence is a virtue in this dark world we call home,"_ her hand shook violently as she gripped her cup handle tighter. _"… Please don't take that from them. I don't want them exposed to so much hate and anger…they'd be alone."_ Her voice was shallow with grief.

He stood up and walked to her side and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. She didn't look up. _"They wouldn't be alone, if you allowed the truth – "_

"_They will not be acknowledged as such in your community."_ She spoke harshly enough that it surprised him._ "They deserve to have a fair chance in a place such as the Wizarding World, and I never thought you'd be interested in such a prospect anyway."_

_"Under other circumstance, yes, but the future I had once thought was set in stone has come across…an unfortunate obstacle, so my own plans and priorities have changed. As such a result, so has your own happiness come at risk."_ He looked down at her from the corner of his eye.

"_What do you mean?"_ she asked staring at a portrait of herself and her parents directly across from her on a wall by the opening of the room.

"**They**_ seemed to have found you shortly after I had."_ He felt her stiffen under his hand. _"I came within three hours before they, themselves would arrive for you….This is where I'd like to make you a bargain."_

_"What kind of a proposal?"_ her eyes stayed determinedly onto the portrait.

He stared down at her._ "My Lord is also interested in _you_ as well. Either you agree or not I will still be leaving with what I came for, and those bumbling muggles will have you within their grasp shortly after I depart." _Her eyes began to water. He bent on his knee beside her with the help of his cane and glared at her.

"_You'll never see them again."_ Her hands shook.

"_If I leave them with you they will suffer worse than you." _Her lips quivered.

"_If I take them, without you, they'll never have the chance you want them to have." _He brushed a dark lock away from her eyes and whispered near her ear. _"Happiness."_ She almost whimpered. _"Safety for your cooperation is what I ask of you, and your help on occasion when needed." _He spoke after a while.

_"Do we have a deal?"_

There was the sound of a screen door opening past the kitchen. He stood back up to his full height as he heard a noise coming from the back door to the house, and turned his head to hear happy chatter and soft footsteps coming closer to their part of the house. He almost missed her reply as three bodies stopped at the open-way into the room and stared in silence.

"_**Deal.**__"_

A small tear running down her cheek and falling into her misty reflection within her tea was all that was the last piece to her shattered heart.

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><p><strong>I dare you to figure out what happened! - LoVeRsOfLiFe<br>**

**S:D**


	2. I Didn't Know We've Met

**Accidents Happen**

**I OWN THIS STORY BUT NOT ITS CHARACTERS; **EXCEPT MY OWN**!**

**THIS IS **_NOT_**COMPLIANT TO 'DEATHLY HALLOWS'**

'**HALF-BLOODED PRINCE' WON'T BE INTRODUCED UNTIL **LATER** CHAPTERS**

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><p>"<strong>It all started when <strong>_she_** got accepted into Hogwarts…and then life just kept screwing me up worse each time. All because of that stupid game. I messed up! It was all an accident. And they just. Kept. Coming."… Draco M/OOC**

* * *

><p>"You have <em>got<em> to be kidding!" and that's when all hell broke loose within the Great Hall.

_It had been a quiet morning in the Great Hall during breakfast, with every house table being filled to capacity since the Headmaster had called an early meeting for all the professors, prefects and Head Boy and Girl close to 5:00 a.m. It was currently 8:30 when everyone in school was awoken at 6:15 to head down to the Great Hall for an emergency announcement by Dumbledore, when breakfast wasn't going to be served till 9:00 since school wasn't to start for another two days, they saw no reason to wake the students for an early start. Once everyone had been settled, bleary eyed and still sleepy, especially since many of the 6__th__ and 7__th__ year students had spent most of their night partying and were sporting wicked hangovers and grumpy attitudes – especially the Slytherins – this would only increase the students bad moods for an early morning._

_ As breakfast was served at 7:00 instead of 9:00 that day everyone had questions floating around the Hall as to why the Headmaster had called the whole school to be within the dining area so early. What could be so important? Was the school under attack? Has the Dark Lord's mark been spotted nearby? So many questions left unanswered; not even the prefects or the Heads would speak a word to their fellow students, they were currently situated at a table at the front with the professors' table behind them, and they all seemed to be wearing blank expressions or frowns on their faces. The teachers didn't look any better either. Then finally the Headmaster stood from his seat and everyone in the Hall went quiet._

_ Dumbledore spoke. "My fellow colleagues and students, my apologies for waking you all much earlier for today than originally planned, for I know some of you had been up most of the prior night in festivities in your designated dorms." There were grumbles and murmurs throughout the quiet Hall either in agreement due to their hangovers or possible guilt or embarrassment for not actually being in – or found in – their own common rooms that night. "But do know that I wouldn't have called the school to immediate attention if it was not important."_

"_Is the school under attack?" a third year in Ravenclaw had asked._

"_Should we evacuate the school?" a second year in Hufflepuff exclaimed in panic, her friends cowering beside her. A low hum of accusations broke out but all went silent again when Dumbledore raised his hand to draw the students' attention back._

_ "There is no need for alarm, the school and all who inhabit it are in no danger, but this is of most dire importance to everyone so that they are aware of some… changes being added to the school." Small whispers started but died before Dumbledore spoke again. "To be more accurate, a new person will be added. By dinner tonight there will be our first year students joining us but also a very special student who will be arriving along with them, and will be sorted into one of the four respected houses for their final year."_

_ "And what exactly is it that makes this new student so important that everyone had to be informed so early in the bloody morning?" a 7__th__ year Slytherin sneered, holding his head low to the table._

"_Mr. Flint, language!" professor McGonagall exclaimed from her seat beside Dumbledore._

_ Dumbledore continued as if it were nothing, and answered the boy's question. "I've called this announcement early because I believed it would be best for everyone to be given time to digest the information you are about to receive and may your shock come to pass by this evening."_

_ "What about this student could possibly shock us that we may not have come across being in a magical community?" this comical comment coming from Lavender Brown and a few people had laughed throughout the room._

_Dumbledore smiled. "Aw, but you see my dear this student is possibly the only thing that could surprise any witch or wizard of a thousand years. For this new student is a muggle."_

_ There was a collective silence at that point until a very annoyed voice shouted out:_

"**You have **_**got **_**to be kidding?"**

Now back to the present with the whole of Hogwarts in an uproar, especially the Slytherins, everyone seemed to have an input as to why a muggle was being admitted into the school. Once the teachers, prefects and Head Boy and Girl got everyone settled down after three long hours of trying to get everyone's attention from their own outraged or incredulous conversations, Dumbledore explained.

Although the student is very much a muggle, they do have a witch and wizard within their family tree. The student – they haven't received information whether it is a boy or a girl – has a great, great aunt who was a muggle-born witch that graduated from Hogwarts, and is a good friend of Dumbledore's, and the aunt's great grandfather from another family was a half-blooded wizard with a muggle mother.

…So at least this student will _possibly_ have some knowledge about magic; but it doesn't change the fact that they are a muggle through and through. _Hell!_ Another mudblood would have been better, but a muggle?

_Is nothing sacred anymore?_

"Now listen carefully, students," Dumbledore began, "I understand this is a great shock to all of you, but keep in mind this is a very special case in which this muggle student will be joining us in Hogwarts for the rest of the year, and if it weren't for a good reason I would never have done such a thing."

"Then what is it that makes this student a special case?" a 6th year Slytherin girl sneered and the rest of the table agreed with her.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "It is nothing you need to fret about. In fact the young student will not be in much close contact with the rest of you. Some may not even see her for the entire year."

"So the student is a girl then? That should be entertaining." Theodor Nott smirked and a few of his friends chuckled beside him.

"Thank you for your approval, Mr. Nott." McGonagall said in a rare show of sarcasm as she glared down at him. "On further note, due to Mr. Nott's input, there will be some new rules regarding this new student's arrival; in which case there will be _no_ harassment of any kind."

The Slytherins groaned and muttered their annoyance while McGonagall continued. "To all prefects, teachers, and Heads; the young girl that will be joining us is exempt from being punished for breaking school curfew at the regular hour of being within the dorms for 9:30 p.m., but only after 11:00 p.m. may the student require staying out later without an escort." At this everyone seemed to be outraged, and it took another few minutes to calm everyone down, then Minerva continued more exasperatedly.

"There will be no magic used against this student in which reconciles as _harassment_, so there will be absolutely no jinxes, levitation or tripping spells, and most _**certainly**_, no _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes _pranks of _any kind_." Many students laughed at this. "Anybody who disobeys any of these given rules will result in the loss of house points as great as 100 and 2 weeks detention." All was silent in shock. "Have I made myself clear?" she spoke loudly in the silent Hall.

Everyone spoke out their acceptance and that was that. For now.

Finally at 11:45 a.m. the student were released after reluctantly resigning from not having any of their questions answered, some forgetting about the matter entirely to return to their beds and skipping lunch, while other were anxious to find out more. There was still a lot to be unanswered and Dumbledore was certainly not helping the more curious students into receiving more information about the new girl staying within the school. It was obvious there was something important or urgent about this girl for Dumbledore to be breaking so many rules into letting this muggle into the school, but no one could fathom why.

Draco Malfoy was one of those people. Sitting in a pair of black, loose-fitted dress pants and a forest green button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and two button opened at the top, he sat lazily on the couch with his arms situated on the back of the chair spread before him as he eyed his fellow classmates warily. Listening in on the multiple conversations around the room about the announcement that took place only a few hours prior, he caught snippets of each and promptly ignored the mindless chatter around him as he went into his own musings of that morning's announcement. It had been him who yelled out indignantly about the scandal, but after returning to his own quarters for a longer sleep he woke up with a clearer head in which to think about this odd situation. Many of the Slytherins seemed rather flustered after the announcement and took part in conversations to leave the school; after all, what high class pureblood would want to be anywhere _near_ a muggle who supposedly is to be taught alongside them. It was an insult! They all agreed Dumbledore had gone too far, including Draco, however he was too proud to simply join in with his housemates bickering and stuck to keeping his loud thoughts to himself.

Draco snorted. The old man had truly lost his mind this time around. He must be mad if he thought that justifying that this girl had a witch and a wizard with in her family line could reconcile her acceptance into the school he was dead wrong. Both witch and wizard weren't even purebloods, only a muggle-born and a half-blood. Did the old fool think that made her a mudblood too? The very idea was _laughable_!

Last night had been an extreme disappointment for all, seeing that the train to Hogwarts wouldn't arrive till the tomorrow night because of some muggle delays. _Typical._ The next afternoon Draco had finally been fed up with all the talk about the new girl. The gossip line had increased immensely due to her failure in introducing herself the night before, so anticipation was high. She was now due to come today with the new 1st years and be sorted into the houses during the Welcome Feast that evening. Putting on a royal purple button up dress shirt and black slacks, he decided to leave his dorm and walk around the school a while in hopes to enjoy whatever was left of his free day before school started the next morning. He was struggling to keep his frustration in check as he searched for a quiet place to be alone while all the while listening to all the rumours flying around about – you guessed it – the new girl;

"_I hear she's really a squib who was hiding in the muggle world after her parents disowned her."_

"_No way! She's probably some new experiment the Headmaster is conducting to see if muggles can learn magic too. He's crazy! It's bad enough we already let _**mudbloods**_ into the school." _

"_Did you hear what Twanny said? She says, Laura told her, that she heard, Justin had _admitted_ to Devon he __**saw**__ her walking around the school!" _

"_He said he saw a strange figure creeping around the potions class in the dungeon, come on let's go!"_

"_Ya, so you should be on the lookout with me! She has to be really tall if she's actually one of Hagrid's distant cousins."_

"_Can you believe what Damian said? He says the girl is actually a new pet Hagrid's snuck into the school and that it can change its shape and form to look like a human, like a metamorphagus can change into animals!" _

"_Actually, the truth is she – "_

It was driving him _**crazy**_.

Deciding he'd try his luck with the Owlry Tower – it seemed a hell of a lot better listening to thousands of birds squawking about than the people. He stomped through the school not caring whether he hit someone within his path, and he was proud to say he didn't curse anyone on the way… alright so he jinxed two 2nd years to have their school ties wrap around their bodies like a snake would its prey. But it cheered him up some, and considering there was no other incident after by the time he made it to the tower, it had him feeling like he'd done a good deed for the day, and he mentally pat himself on the back for good behaviour. Besides looking for a gossip-free place to think Draco intended to send off a letter to his parents and see what they thought about this completely bonkers of a Headmaster and his crazy schemes. He had expected to send the letter swiftly with his Hawk-eagle, Strike, and then possibly take a walk outside in the quiet atmosphere of a warm, mid-September's day. He didn't expect however to find someone else within the large space kept for the birds in question, or that they'd just be staring aimlessly out a high archway opening served as a window, and staring intently down at the school grounds leading into the Forbidden Forest.

The petite figure clearly leads Malfoy to believe that the person was female, and he stared in shock to notice how high she really was from the ground – almost 9ft from what he could tell – she was high enough that if he hadn't looked up to search for his bird he would never have noticed her in the room. She had her face turned away into the sunlight shining through the open arch, but he could make out the soft curves of her body and the way her dark skin and hair seemed to shine in the sun's rays. She was also humming a light tune to herself as she stroked a rather large black hawk absentmindedly as it cooed to her in approval. Ironically it was the silly bird he had come to look for from the beginning. He frowned.

"What do you think you're _doing_?" he called up to her. She startled, as she gasped and looked down at him, while the large bird cawed and flapped its wings happily upon seeing him.

She looked down at him curiously, by what he could guess with the tilt of her head, the sun still blocked his view of her features. Strike flapped his wings again and she turned away from Malfoy to look at the bird again and its excited behaviour.

"That happen to be _my_ bird you're coddling." He said irritably, lips pulled down in a small sneer.

She snapped her attention back towards him as if she forgot he was there for a moment. He mentally scoffed, who could possibly forget about _him_ when his very presence dictated attention from anyone within a ten mile radius, he's just too important. Apparently this girl was either very bold or pretty stupid to let her guard down so easily around him. He was brought out of his musings when he noticed that she sent Strike off into the air and he circled around the tower. However to his surprise she all of a sudden stood up and stepped off the ledge like a stair step, and after a small front flip landed with a cat-like grace with her legs and feet together, knees barely bent to brace the packed dirt floor. She bent herself forward to dust off her short white, open-toed heels, strapped securely to her ankles as Strike swooped down to land on her back close to her neck as he cawed at his master. She tensed slightly feeling the extra weight on her back and let out an amused, but startled sound with her light voice.

Malfoy couldn't help but smirk as the bird weighed down her head to make her look as if she were bowing to him. He outstretched his arm, clad in a large dragon skin glove, and the large black bird hopped from the girl's shoulder blades onto Draco's arm as the bird accepted the small treat he held in his other hand.

"If you got any scratches it's your own fault for foolishly putting yourself in a vulnerable position like that." He spoke monotonously to her, but kept his attention to the bird on his arm. In the corner of his eye he saw her straighten her stance and he glanced at her. Stopping in mid-stroke of Strike's feathers he did a double take when he saw her face clearly this time.

Even with her long hair slightly in a mess thanks to Strike landing on her she was a rather breathtaking vision to behold. She had a lovely heart-shaped face, with a full, generous mouth curved in a bright smile, and shining photo-perfect white teeth. Her lithe little form caught his attention quickly as she walked closer towards him, with impossibly long, strong looking legs that led to the apex hidden beneath her black jean short. Trailing his eyes slowly up her form he took note of her wide-swelling hips, a sleeveless purple, button-up blouse with ruffles down the front, she had three buttons undone from the top, and another daring three from the bottom showing off a short white under top that displayed her pierced bellybutton of a blue and green gem twinkling in the light. She had an attractive thickness to her body that left her with a sturdy curvaceous build, with a toned stomach and legs so as not to be mistaken as fragile, and her breasts were well endowed as they hugged snuggly within her top. The generous amount of skin she displayed for his eyes to wander would still be considered decent within the school, if not a bit audacious with her midriff showing, but then again they hadn't technically started the school year yet so it probably didn't matter. Not to mention it would be a crime if she had to cover up that delicious cleavage of hers from his hungry gaze.

Forcefully prying his eyes away from the soft skin of her swan-like neck he drew his attention back up to her face and noticed for the first time the colourful emotions in her eyes. It took his breath away. Those almond shaped eyes had to be the most attractive thing about her. They were a unique colour. Draco couldn't decide whether to categorize them as either blue or green, for they shone like a blue diamond, only with the lustre green of an emerald misting through the blue. And if that weren't enough, she had _star-shaped_ pupils. These were the most extravagant eyes he'd ever seen in his life, and with cinnamon complexion it gave her an exotic look; like an African deity of some sort. The emotion swirling in her eyes gave them an ominous feel that gave her a haunting beauty despite her carefree smile, putting the look to memory he chose to muss on it later as she replied back to him, having patiently waited for him to finish his assessment of her form. If she noticed him staring at her form earlier she didn't comment, in which he was grateful. It would have been a terrible shot to his pride.

"I'm sorry," her tinkling voice rang clear in his ear. "I didn't know he was yours. I just saw a very lonely bird perched on the window sill so I decided to keep him company."

He gazed up to the spot she used to be perched at and frowned. "How'd you get up there to begin with? Some sort of levitation spell, since you clearly don't have a broom with you." He spoke sceptically.

She shrugged as she took out a decorative hair pin and started curling her long raven locks around it, before clipping it to the side of her head, long tendrils of hair waving layers over the left side of her face and across her shoulder in a side part. He glared intensely at the pin when he saw the familiar red and gold with the ever present Gryffindor symbol glaring back at him. "No spell, no broom. I just scaled the wall." she stated matter-of-factly.

He looked down at her short heels condescendingly, and then with a raised eyebrow gave her a pointed look. She bristled slightly. "That window is almost ten feet off the ground."

"You did just see me walk off the ledge like it were nothing but a stepping stone, till I hit the floor of course, didn't you?" she threw right back at him, hands on her cocked hips.

He sniffed as he narrowed his eyes at her. There was that Gryffindor wit. "Touché." She smiled again and drew her attention to Strike staring between the two of them from Malfoy's arm.

"Why don't you have an owl like some of the other students?" she asked

"I do. An Eagle owl actually, but he isn't efficient enough to send a letter with a small space of time, so he's in my room at the moment." He replied. She stared at Strike.

"He is absolutely beautiful." She breathed. "What breed is he?"

"He's a Hawk eagle. A fine bird indeed and a family treasure bought from the best of breeders from the better side of London." He said proudly. "A naturally fierce predator of the skies and outmatches his cousins, the red hawks by far. That's why I call him Strike."

"A fitting name for such a magnificent creature; I could tell when he swooped down onto my back a few moments ago." She laughed out.

"I told you exposing yourself was stupid on your behalf. But then that's what you Gryffindors are like; foolish in your trusting ways, and how fickle you female type are." He smirked.

She gave him a confused look. "Gryffindor? What do mean by th –"

He sighed exasperatedly. "Look, as pleasant as this conversation is, I don't intend to waste my breath on someone like you, I have more important matters to attend to. Perhaps some other time." He pondered comically as he gave her a disinterested once over before turning towards another open window that he could easily look over at his 6ft height. She seemed to have ignored his dismissal and sat up against the windows ledge facing towards him as he stroked Strike's large black head.

"Why not just use one of the school owls? They could deliver the message just as well." She commented as she watched him tie his letter onto the winged beast's leg. He tried not to get distracted with her legs folding before him and brushing up against his side.

"He can move a lot quicker and is much more safe to use in providing a message to my family than some bumbling owl that could be intercepted by anyone curious about my business." He didn't know why he was still talking to her.

"Privacy. That's something I hoped there would be _here_." She said mysteriously. Before he could look into her words she extended her arm. "May I hold him?"

"He's a very temperamental bird." He smirked. "He'd probably tear your arm in two; I know I'm certainly not going to give you my glove."

"Nonsense. He was positively charming when I joined him up on the arch earlier before you got here."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't." she smirked as well and put her arm closer, and to his surprise Strike chirped excitedly and scurried gently up her arm to rest at her shoulder as he rubbed his head to her cheek.

She giggled. "You see, he's as gentle as a canary." She stroked under his chin.

Draco was floored. Never in his life, since first receiving the bird as his familiar had he seen the silly beast react so fondly towards anyone but him and his family. Anytime he left him alone for long periods of time he'd often get complaints about Strike harassing the other birds within the Owlry, or 'viciously attacking' one of the students who came to send off a letter with one of the school owls. Strike was so badly behaved that no one would want to go near him within 30ft while in the dorms so Draco had no choice but to place him up the tower. But here he was acting like a love-struck fawn curled at this girl's shoulder. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous as Strike started cooing as he nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck. He felt so appalled by the bird's behaviour and also a bit of betrayal, not only towards his familiar, but at himself as well. Shocked with himself he gave a sharp whistle and the bird _reluctantly_ left her side and back onto Draco's arm.

He studied her for a moment and she stared back at him, her eyes never wavering from his steel gaze. She seemed to be contemplating him as hers eyes seemed to dance all across his face before settling on his eyes again, his short fringe falling into his vision, he noticed her hand twitch.

He smirked. She's probably itching to touch him at the moment. To brush his hair out of his eyes, she's about ready to kiss him senseless like the rest of the female population out there. Well except Granger, he frowned in his mind, but he didn't think she counted as a female in his eyes. He surmised that this girl was no different from the rest he's come to be well…_acquainted_ with, but he couldn't help but wonder; with an obvious extravagant beauty like hers, she looked like the kind of girl that would peak his interest immediately, why hadn't he seen her around before?

"I was hiding." She simply stated. Damn, he didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Then what are you doing up in a place like this where anyone could find you?" he inquired.

"I've been up here alone for quite a few hours and no one's made an appearance until you showed up. I thought it would be a good place to just sit and think." Then she added rather sheepishly, "Plus, I'm kind of hiding out up here…I'm guessing you were trying to do the same."

He looked down at her from his nose. "I don't believe I have to dignify that with an answer." He felt a pleasurable shiver run up his spine when she let out a soft laugh.

"No, I guess not." Why did she keep smiling at him? "But the gossip mill is starting to get out of hand. You know, about the new girl?"

He groaned in frustration. "It's bloody irritating is what it is. If I have to hear another person say that she's some three eyed monster that that fool of a half-giant brought into the school, I'm going to hex them straight through till their next birthday!" he stroked a hand disgruntledly through his hair.

She laughed again. "So its three eyes now, huh? Earlier someone said she'd have beaver teeth and harpy wings!" this time he snorted.

"I thought she was supposed to be a muggle, not some nightmare created through Transfiguration class." Then they were both laughing, and it caught him completely off-guard that he stopped instantly as he watched her catch her breath, though he kept an almost blank expression she could tell he wanted to smile by the look in his eyes.

The sun's low rays caught onto the Gryffindor pin in her hair, and suddenly all the laughter in his eyes disappeared as he glared at the pin once again. He watched her closely with a cryptic eye as she rubbed Strike's head with her forefinger. She felt his stare as well as his change in mood, and connected her eyes with his once more.

"What's wrong?"

"How is it I've never seen you before? I may not pay much attention to who's in the other houses but I'm sure I'd remember you, or at least heard about you from someone else." His eyes narrowed. "I have no idea who you _are_." She chuckled softly.

"Well, if it makes you feel better…I have no idea who _you_ are either." He sneered, insulted.

_Pardon? Never heard –? _You don't know who _I _am? I am _Draco Malfoy_. The sole heir to the Malfoy family name, one of the oldest living _pureblooded_ Wizardry families there is." he said affronted.

She shook her head almost abashedly. "Sorry if I've offended you, but I've honestly never been told about you, or your family's history." She shrugged.

"Sweet Merlin,where the bloody hell have you _been_?" he spluttered. This girl really knew how to get under his skin, and he didn't even know who she was.

She laughed again, clutching her side. He looked at her strangely, if it were anyone else, and he wasn't so confused he would have been very angry to think she were laughing at him. Strange how he's thought of her as an exception…

"You mean you didn't know?" he just stared at her. "I thought you'd catch on, I'm –"

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you, my dear." They both turned to see Professor McGonagall standing in the entryway to the Owlry tower in quite a huff. She seemed to be…relieved? To have found him? No, this strange girl was who she was staring at with such thankfulness. For being on school grounds? This was so odd. She suddenly noticed him within the room and her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before settling with a questioning stare for the both of them.

She was about to ask a question it seemed but decided against it and turned to the girl once more. "My dear, we've been searching all over for you, please come along. We have much to discuss." She gestured for her to follow and the girl hopped off the ledge and dusted her ample backside off. "Mr. Malfoy?" he quickly snapped his attention back onto the older woman. "Do head back to your dormitory and change into your robes. The new 1st years will arrive within the hour for the Sorting ceremony and the Welcoming Feast down at the Great Hall. Do be ready." The girl followed McGonagall out.

She turned to look back at him at the doorway with a heart-warming smile. "It was nice meeting you Drake, hope to see you again soon." And with a twirl of her hair and a gleam of her hairpin, she was gone.

Draco stood there for a moment in shock and silenced anger. _Did she just call me Drake?_

After sending Strike off to deliver my message to my parents I walked back to my dorm and changed into my uniform, fuming over that strange encounter I had an hour earlier with that girl, those starry pools of blue and green seemed to drift through my self-conscious for what seemed like ages ago. Yet it was only about an hour or so since I met her, and she's already managed to drive me crazy thinking about her, and our conversation. It just put me off to think about how she responded to me, like she had double-meaning to her words, or possibly guarding herself, and then there were the looks she gave me. The emotion in her eyes were dizzying, they looked so familiar – of course not in the sense that I've seen anyone with stars for eyes before – but there was a familiar eerie feel to the look on her face. It gave me an odd sense of dread and a wariness to find out more about her.

I strangely found myself scoping my eyes across the Great Hall and scowled upon finding the source of the disturbance from my thought. A 3rd year in the emblems of red and gold had been tripped on his way to his table by Flint, his house pin glared across my face from the light within the room.

I frowned and glared at the boy's retreating back as he picked himself up and quickly made his way to his own table. Red and gold for house colors.

My frown turned into a sneer. _Why did she have to be a __**Gryffindor**__?_

"What's gotten you into a mood, then?"

Breaking away from my thoughts I turned to my left and saw Blaise, current Head Boy, staring at me inquisitively. I realized I must have been glaring pretty hard across the Hall to the Gryffindor table if he seemed to notice. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"You've been switching that glare of yours between the Gryffindorks table to your plate every few seconds since you came and sat down." _I hadn't realized I was looking for her._ "What or who's got you so distracted? They must have done something really stupid if you look this pissed off about something."

"What's this about my Drakey being pissed?" Pansy's shrill voice asked from the opposite side of the table from Blaise. I groaned. _I hate how all the girls I've slept with stuck with calling me that shortly after she mentioned it._

"It's nothing." I grunted. "I've just finally been driven mad with all this talk about the new girl. The muggle is due to arrive in the next few moments and these dunderheaded idiots are still squawking about her!" I was close to yelling about now, and some of my fellow Slytherins close by either inched away from me or discretely tuned into our conversation.

"Whoa! Didn't know it would grate on your nerves so badly. You don't usually pay attention to the gossip mills." Blaise inquired.

"Well this in particular has caused quite an uproar; it's even affecting me as of now. A muggle in _Hogwarts_; It's a complete _disgrace_ and insult to all of us who learn here." And when I say us I clearly only mean those within my house. All around me people had stopped their conversations and murmured in agreement. "I'm sure you all agree."

"Of course." Daphne said indignantly. "My parents are trying to transfer me into Beauxbaton's Academy, but there isn't much hope from what I hear." She pouted.

"That's right." Millicent chipped in. "All students in the graduating year have filled all possible spots for transfer. Not to mention you have to have _some_ prerequisite to be admissioned so late in the year."

"But the school year had only just begun, how can it be too late?" Daphne said distressed.

"Apparently they moved the start of new term since August; they had a foreign exchange program in act since June and decided it would be best to take the time to add a new translations course, and to get them acquainted with the school, so they started early." Millicent responded.

Both girls sighed wistfully. "Maybe our parents will just pull us out of school for the year." Daphne said hopefully.

"Or they'll destroy the school to get rid of the girl within it." Blaise muttered amusedly.

"I don't bloody care enough about this new dilemma to dismiss graduating for another year, just because some muggle is going to walk the same floors I do." I grumbled. Pansy looked at me disbelievingly.

"You can't be serious. You just said so yourself what a _scandal_ this must be."

"Yes, but in saying that I am simply acknowledging that fact, however that doesn't mean I am willing to be chased out of the school like some sort of plague. After all you can't catch muggle." I smirked and Blaise snorted beside me.

Pansy made a face and looked as if she were to rebut, but the double doors to the Great Hall suddenly opened and old bird McGonagall walked in with some fresh meat 1st years. Weaving through the batch with my eyes I didn't see any signs of the muggle girl that would be joining us for our final year. Unless she was 4ft tall like the rest of the new 1st years, but I highly doubted it. Dumbledore began his boring speech in welcoming the new students to Hogwarts, the rules of the school, house unity and all that rubbish, when I noticed a glare of light twinkling by the side door slightly behind the professors' table.

I sat straighter in my chair. It was _her_ again, but what was she doing up there? In the back of my mind I noticed McGonagall start the sorting of new students, so far we received six new 1st years but I was more concentrated on the girl no one else seemed to notice. She was watching the Sorting ceremony with an odd intensity while she inclined her head to the side to speak softly to Filch on her left as she rubbed Miss Norris's head, the old cat's loud purring easily mistaken for the hum of clapping students. I was too stumped to even begin to comprehend why anyone, let alone _how_, anyone could even stand being near the creepy old squib; but here that girl was talking to him as if they were old friends or something, and was that a _smile_ on Argus's face? _Sweet Merlin how the hell did she do that!_

I felt a nudge to my left and Blaise was staring at me. "What's got you so focused all of a sudden?" he followed my line of vision from earlier, but to my surprise when I looked back as well she was no longer where she stood just moments ago, and Filch was no longer smiling.

"Where the bloody hell did she go?" I muttered. Blaise looked at me confused.

"Who?" I ignored him and continued to search for that familiar purple shirt and glimmering hairpin, but was interrupted when the headmaster stood to gain everyone's attention.

"Now that everyone has been placed in their designated houses, it is with my great pleasure that I introduce our special guest. To the new student who has just arrived and would not have known about the announcement I gave yesterday, there is a new student that will be joining our 7th year graduating class at Hogwarts. However she is a special exception from any of our usual students; for she is a muggle, therefore has no magical ability except for a short history and knowledge of a witch and wizard within her family line." He paused to let the information sink in as some of the 1st years and other students talked about this odd dilemma once again before Dumbledore spoke again. "Now with that in mind I ask that you all treat her with the respect she deserves as part of the student body, may you open your arms and welcome her into the school and within whichever house she is sorted into. I strongly encourage house unity, and as an added thought, before I forget, she will only take part in classes that don't insure the use of a wand; however she may be assisting in many other classes as well," he chuckled at this point. "Well enough of my old man's ramble, why don't we hear from the young lady herself." A few people laughed quietly and I rolled my eyes.

Suddenly a glare of light caught my eye again, and my head snapped to the far right corner by the professors' table, but I didn't see anything. Pansy tried to catch my eye as she looked between where I had been staring and back to my face again, but I turned my attention back to the headmaster when I heard a crescendo of voices breaking out across the Great Hall. I froze in shock as I took in at the front of all the tables that Dumbledore had somehow managed to make his way down from behind the head table to stand in front of everyone next to McGonagall holding the sorting hat in her right hand, and a rolled up scroll in the other, when I had only turned away for a minute. But that wasn't what shocked me stiff or what caused the sudden uproar of voices around the Hall. It was the pretty, young girl standing on his other side holding her hand up in his as he guided her closer to the middle isle of the surrounding tables.

"Let us all please welcome, Miss Karessa Daniels." _The beautiful girl with the star eyes._ I sure enough those rich, jewel-like eyes danced back at every student in the room.


	3. A Heart of Silver, Gold, Bronz, or Black

**SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND:**

"Talking"

_Inner Thoughts _

'_Quotes from a Memory'_

Every line break changes character's point view & narration

**3 LoVeRsOfLiFe 3**

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><p>Those <em>eyes<em>.

I knew it was _impossible_ to have walked around the school for six years, and never come across them before, but how could I have not realized it before?

'_You mean you didn't know?' _I can't believe what an idiot I was. _'I thought you'd catch on,' _she was mocking me.

'_Gryffindor?'_ she had given me so many hints. _'I'm kind of hiding out up here…'_

'_But the gossip mill is starting to get out of hand. You know, about the new girl?'_

'_I thought you'd catch on, catch on, catch on…'_ I felt my teeth grinding together. That muggle bitch was playing with me.

I sat there, fists clenched, jaw set, and seething in silent anger as I watched her scan the Hall with her vivid eyes. She'd pause every few moments to stare at individual people that possibly caught her interest, but the glance only lasted a few short seconds before she continued her assessment of every student's reaction. That is until her eyes caught mine and held for much longer ticks in time, and there was a glimmer of emotion within her eyes that gave my anger pause. The look on her face gave me a familiar chill, as if it echoed another look I've seen on someone else. It caught me so off-guard that any ounce of loathing I had for her dispersed for the time being as I contemplated that look, but as if realizing what I was doing she swiftly moved her gaze to the left of me and she visibly froze.

It was only due to my close position towards the center front of where she stood that I even noticed the slight widening of her eyes, and her eyes seemed to shimmer from my perspective, but I could be mistaking it for the glare of the light in my vision. I also took a secretive note of the slight tensing of her right arm as the hand discretely squeezed onto the Headmaster's. He craftily glanced towards the person she was indicating to and he squeezed her hand back in acknowledgment. That shook her out of her inner musings it appeared as she slowly dragged her eyes away from the person of interest reluctantly.

Glancing to my left I had forgotten that Blaise was seated directly to my left, and to my surprise he seemed to be staring back at her much the same way she had him; a look of recognition that dawned upon both their faces when they made eye contact, but Blaise's brow had creased in confusion and he blinked at her bewildered. This exchange perplexed me as I stared at him. He felt my stare and snapped his eyes onto me.

"What's with the look?" he sounded shocked.

"Did you know her from before?" there was an edge to my words that I couldn't understand where it was coming from. He seemed startled.

"No, I don't have the slightest clue. I am not one of the few who interacts with muggles."

"Then what was that staring contest you shared a moment ago?" I frowned.

"You sound jealous." He smirked.

"Answer the question." I hissed quietly.

His brow furrowed. "I have never seen her before in my life." He paused to stare back at her. "But I got a strange feeling within me when her eyes stared back at me…it felt like a needle prick to the heart." He explained distractedly.

At that point I decided to not ask again about his sudden strange epiphany and listen to what _Miss Daniels_ had to say, now that her eyes stopped roaming and everyone started to quiet down, a few small conversations here and there.

_There's that smile again…_

"Good evening everyone," her sweet voice rang like bells through the silent Hall, "as the Headmaster has introduced, my name is Karessa Daniels, and as you have been informed; although I have magic within my ancestors' blood I myself have not inherited their gift of the enchanted delights such as the rest of you, therefore making me a muggle." The 1st years from each table started whispering, but were quickly silenced when she spoke again. "It is because of my blood standing that I wish to learn more about the Wizarding world, and hopefully gain more knowledge than my own with all of your help, and I'm sure you all would have much to teach me."

"Oh yeah, I could teach her a few new things." Nott whispered suggestively, a smirk plastered on his face as his eyes roved over Daniels's form up front. The surrounding Slytherin males snickered and sent Karessa lecherous glances before McGonagall's glare shut them up.

Karessa took in stride and continued to smile. "Also seeing as I can't exactly graduate from a school I have no former experienced classes in, I will be – as the Headmaster stated earlier – more of a background student to the minimal classes that would allow me to be active within the course. In other words, any class that does not require for me to possess a wand I may be in, but in the case of some I will also be assisting the teachers in their lesson every few days or so till the end of the year."

"Why would you bother? It's not like you know anything of this world to be of use to you." A 5th year Hufflepuff spoke out.

Daniels didn't seem to be offended. "True, but it doesn't hurt to be aware of other affairs that go on around me. Plus, if there's anything that I learn from this experience, there is the possibility that I could pass on knowledge to one of you that didn't know." There was a loud scoff of disgust from the Slytherin table.

Turning my head towards the sound adjacent to me I saw Pansy with her nose scrunched in disgust. "You've got to be daft to think anyone would come to you for help." He eyes narrowed as she levelled a glare towards Daniels, scrutinizing her as she did. "What makes you think any of us would need you, after all we've been here _much_ longer than you; many of us being bred with the ways of magic. You can't expect to teach anyone besides the 1st – 3rd years probably about something you yourself have not discovered." She ended smugly, and got a cheer or two from her fellow Slytherin, while the other houses sat holding their breaths expectantly, looking intently at Daniels to see how she'd react.

She simply held that smile as she gave direct eye contact to Pansy, and held her stance proudly. "You are absolutely right about that." Everyone's jaw dropped at the statement and Pansy's smile disappeared.

"I- I am?"

"Of course you are." She said. "But there are some things, even in the magical world, that not all wizards and witches are aware of. In fact I find it quite amusing how it is that there are some magic anomalies within the muggle world that have been discovered by muggles, and no one from this world has noticed before. Or the fact that, ironically, there is still apparent fiction to some creatures talked about in a world built by the impossible; at least to any muggle." She switched her gaze to glance around the room again. "Any muggle-born student here should very well agree that before they discovered their own magical abilities they were thought to be regular muggles like I am; that everything known to this world was just a distant fantasy talked about in children stories and fairytale dreams, you never would have thought them real." There were a lot of quiet mumbles of agreement and laughter around the room. "So yes, there may be quite a few things I don't know, but think of the discoveries I have made through life that I am certain no one here knows about unless they have experienced it."

People started talking again and suddenly there was a resounding applause all around the room, which surprisingly included some naïve 1st years from the Slytherin table…_We'll have to fix that later._

Pansy frowned and silently huffed as she turned away to glare at two 1st year girls clapping excitedly, and staring admiringly up at Daniels, though they stopped when they noticed Pansy's harsh stare. I smirked to myself. This girl could give the Gryffindors a run for their money in the courage department, not to mention the galls she had to do that all with a winning smile on her face. With the near vengeful look on Pansy's face, _Miss Daniels _better watch her back.

"Furthermore, I would like to introduce a few extracurricular activities into the school, under Dumbledore's permission of course." She blessed that smile onto the headmaster and his eyes twinkled in admiration as he nodded his approval. She faced the student body again as her smile widened. "I've been informed of most of the school's teachings, and I must say, though your classes are well thought out I am concerned about some of the more practical things that are not being learnt by all students."

"And what would that be?" Leave it to know-it-all Granger being excited to learn something that the school has not already been teaching.

"Yes please enlighten us." Pansy sneered, still not looking towards the front of the room.

"Self-defense and basic survival of course." Daniels stated simply. I think that had dumbfounded most of the students.

"You must be joking." Said a 5th year Hufflepuff.

"We already have a class that teaches us defence, _Defence Against the Dark Arts_." Said Millicent snidely, "And what would we need _basic survival_ skills for when we have our wands? In case you forgot, in this world we survive with the use of _magic_. You _have_ heard of that haven't you?" Millicent snickered alongside Pansy and Daphne.

They quickly stopped in surprise when Daniels laughed as well, a warm sound that stirred my blood, but only caused the three girls to sneer at her. "Of course what I meant was without the use of your wands, which also means without the use of magic period."

"You _must_ be mad?" that surprisingly came from Astoria, who usually keeps her opinions to herself or her sister, Daphne.

"No, I'm very sane." Blaise and I snorted, but covered it to sound like a choking sound before anyone noticed. Pansy glared, Daniels smiled in our direction. "Think about it honestly, despite whatever prejudices you may have against me for being a muggle, it has come to my obvious attention that without your wands and magic…you all find yourselves defenceless to an opponent. You all find it your only option is to either give up or run." More mumbles of agreement. She made a good point that even I failed to see begrudgingly.

"I'm giving you all the option to continue fighting even though your opponent may see you without a wand, to be no longer a threat to them. Imagine how surprised they'd be if you could win a fight _without_ the use of your wands? To look down at your foes, as if they would you, defeated when they thought it would be _you_ in their place." I had to admit, she even caught my interest with the way she was selling this new class, and she'd probably do wonders in big business. Discreetly looking around she had everyone's attention, even Pansy's, though she tried to do so inconspicuously. "I am merely selling myself as a fighter, because I know if my life depended on it, I wouldn't back down until I physically was unable to." _Or until she was dead_. Is what I'm sure she meant by that statement, but the faraway look in her eyes tells me there is a lot more truth to that than what she was giving away. As if realizing that she snapped out of her daze.

"Also I am well aware that magic can be traced by others, so in this case if ever needed, it would be realistic for safety reason to use as little magic as possible, like if you were going on vacation and you didn't want to be followed by nosey people who may snoop into your personal life. Of course in this case there would be more uses of muggle traditions." I saw Millicent readying to say something, but Daniels must have caught that too, and spoke before she could. "Now I'm not say you have to learn these things, it's just something for you all to keep in mind, and just to remind you," she looked directly at the Slytherin table. "None of you _have_ to take the class, it is only a suggestion, and if anyone is interested they should contact me tomorrow at breakfast before classes begin."

I sat straighter when her star-like eyes connected to mine, but then she moved them to Blaise's. "I look forward to getting to know many of you." And with that there was applause from the students, as I contemplated that look.

As the noise level decreased Dumbledore stepped forward and closer to her to speak once again. "Thank you for that introduction, my dear, you save this poor old fools windpipes from speaking longer and loudly while trying to contain order within this school." Everyone laughed as he smiled fondly down at her. He directed his attention to McGonagall and gestured towards her. "And now for the final sorting of the night before we feast, then we shall retire to our beds."

McGonagall stepped towards the stool up front with the Sorting hat in hand. Dumbledore took Karessa's hand once again and helped her like a gentleman to sit on the chair as the old bat raised the hat to sit atop her head. Everyone waited with baited breath to hear what the hat would decide. I had figured before due to that Gryffindor pin she wore in her hair that she was a Gryffindor, and I still thought she would be, if her introduction was anything to go by. Hell, she seemed to even have the witty brains of a Ravenclaw, so everyone was anxious to see where she'd be placed.

The hat spoke then, and everyone held their breath. "_Oh my_, this is quite unusual indeed." It sounded amused, as well as perplexed. "What a _mind_ this one has, creative skills and wise beyond your years, oh, muggle or not you have _brilliant_ potential." _Ravenclaw_. Looking across the Hall the Ravenclaw table were sharing their approvals with one another.

"I also see bravery," he continued, "_yes_, a level headed thinker yet still thinks with the heart. Willing to quickly sacrifice your safety before others…. A true _lion's_ heart you have there." The Gryffindor table were nearly jumping out of their seats at the prospect of having her as excited whispers occurred.

But the hat continued once again. "Kindness and loyalty; a _dominant_ trait you have there, my dear. Just and unbiased in all decisions….yes, you are very fair in judgement." _The characteristics of a Hufflepuff – minus the idiocy seeing as she'd make a good Ravenclaw,_ I thought, _or the uncontrollable urge to eat all in sight, if that body was any indication – good graces she's about ready to be welcomed with open arms._

Yet the blasted waste of headwear still went on. "But your dreams and goals….how your ambition intrigues me. Quite the _clever_ girl you are; cunning and resourceful…and _what_ social standing you have; but we'll keep that a secret for now, won't we." _Merlin's bloody balls…those are _Slytherin_ qualities. Who the bloody hell __**is**__ this girl?_

"So many stunning qualities, so much potential, in one great mind…you will be a tough decision in placing…much like another I couldn't decide the best place to put him…and even now I'm not sure I made the right decision. Oh you will be a challenge indeed…perhaps it would be best to have you in a much more…_familiar_ group of surrounding peers." He cleared his scratchy voice. "In that case, it better be…"

Everyone held their breath as a whole and awaited the answer.

* * *

><p>Looking around my peers, it seems even now when I've finally arrived for everyone to deduce whether some of their gossip was true, that I'm still a popular subject to talk about even with my presence in the large dining hall. I never expected this school to be so grand, but then Grandfather Dumble <em>is<em> the headmaster, so I shouldn't have expected any less; he's always seemed so amazing to me, even when I was a child, and when he'd often visit the family with my great aunt.

How I miss those days…

There was so much love then, but now –

I shook myself from those dark thoughts. I shouldn't think so negatively; _they_ thrive on my despair, I can't give in to the blackness of my heart, no matter how torn. Coming here is a way to give me a chance, where no one knows who I am, they can't judge me in any way than what they see before them, and I've been given a safe haven to start anew without always looking over my shoulder. But no matter what, I can never forget my place in this world.

'_Remember with the blood in your veins, anywhere you go, responsibility will always be your burden.' _That's what _**he'd**_ told me. _'There's no escaping it even in death.'_

It's felt so long ago that _**he'd**_ said those words to me, but they will never be forgotten, not by me. This rule haunts my every thought; not being able to do anything without thinking about how it will affect others first. Always making decisions.

_But never forget family is your top priority…_I finished my thoughts. I stroked the pendant through the thin layers of my shirt. That is the one thing I'll never let slip past my conscience, even if it meant my safety over another's. Family is everything, and should be respected above all else. But even I can't help but give in to the despair that grips my heart so fiercely at times.

How it aches for my kin…

Looking around to my fellow class and housemates once again, I picked out a few individuals through the large throng of curious stares, connecting eyes with a few. Many turned away in either embarrassment or spite when my eyes fell on them, but there were about three or four who held my gaze for longer than a second, two even shocked me with a bit of friendliness as well as eye contact before returning to their conversations with their friends. A girl with bleach-blonde hair and a dazed look in her eyes, she gave me a shy wave, and a black-haired boy with circular glasses gave me a curt nod. They both had smiled at me, so in kind I smiled back from my temporary seat next to Grandfather Dumble. For tonight I would dine at the teacher's table up front on the high stand where I could gaze at all four tables easily. The boy had pretty green eyes that I could see rather clearly even with our distance, and he gave me this look; as if he could empathise with me about my current status of being '_the__ talk of the town_', so to speak, and I appreciated the subtle gesture of support since I was a stranger in as many of the sense of the word. I held his eyes and mouthed a discreet thank you, and he smiled brightly in return, and mouthed back you're welcome. He turned back to his friends at his table and continued his conversation with them, but ever so often glanced back at me though I turned away. I am most definitely making him a close friend, as well as that star-gazed blonde from the blue table.

"I see you've noticed one of my most favoured student." I turned my head to the left and noticed Albus smiling in the direction of the green-eyed boy, his lovely blue eyes twinkling with that grandfather pride that he always had. Although in most cases that twinkle meant mischief afoot...or the find of a generous portion of sweets in front of him, but all the same, Grandfather Dumble has always been this way for as long as I can remember; a young boy with the body and the mind of an old man. What he wouldn't give to be so again.

I laughed lightly and picked up my goblet of pumpkin juice. "Is that then? That young boy you always used to tell adventurous stories about when you'd come for a visit?" I looked back at the boy in question, contemplating him as I took a hesitant sip of my drink. It was quite good.

Albus laughed. "Yes that would him. He did always seem like the perfect person to talk about when you'd inquire about anything new happening in the magical world."

"Oh, you sweet-toothed liar!" I giggled, and tapped his hand lightly that lay on the table by his cutlery. "You know as well as I, that you would probably talk about that boy acing a midterm exam, or grooming his new broom just because you like him so much." I smirked. He smiled slyly at me as his eyes slanted to look into mine.

There was that twinkle again..."Well now, that would make a good debate for other times...we must remember to test that out another time, after all this old man's mind isn't as good as it used to be." I laughed along with him that time, but muffled it behind my napkin as we both shared a glance, then simultaneously turned our gaze back onto our subject of conversation.

He must have felt our stare for he turned towards us, effectively cutting off his own sentence, and darted his eyes between the two of us. Both Albus and I raised our hands to give a slight wave to him, and there was a dust of rose to his cheeks as he gave a shy wave back to us then turned back around when a boy with red hair tried to gain his attention.

"Harry Potter." I said to myself. "I think we would make very friends of each other." I felt Grandfather Dumble's hand clasp my own and squeeze gently.

"I certainly hope so, my dear." I looked at the man that meant so much to me, like family he is, and his warm smile. I smiled back. Where would I be without him? Probably frightened out of my wits like the rest of my family running out there, I thought sadly.

Suddenly my smile dropped, and I felt my eyes slipping onto the green table, but more specifically the dark-skinned boy sitting quietly staring back at me while his peer chatted around him. He straightened more as his eyes levelled with mine.

There it was again! That feeling tugging at my heart, the warm sensation travelling down my spine... His eyes widened unnoticed by all but me, and we both raised a hand to our faces, as if mirroring one another. I could feel the warm sensation behind my retinas, and I knew he could see my irises spinning; the stars dancing, in greeting of a fellow member as they beckoned his to follow along. He stroked his fingers close to the socket of one of his eyes in discomfort, and then lifted his other hand to knead at the base of his neck towards his spine.

He felt the burning too. He's responded to the _Call_...Is it possible to get my hopes up like this? Does that mean..."I've found them" It was more a question than a statement as my heart rate excelled, and Dumble noticed as he discreetly squeezed my hand again. I inclined my head to the boy I hadn't broken eye contact. "Who _is_ that?" I breathed.

Albus leaned closer to me as he inspected the boy of interest. "That would be one Blaise Zabini." he contemplated my expression, his next words seemed worrisome. "Are you certain, Ressa?"

I paused a moment before breaking eye contact. I looked at Albus sadly.

I shook my head hesitantly. "...No - but there's something in him, I...I can feel it. He's also the only person I've come across who has reacted to the _Call_. What does that tell me?" I said quietly, desperation in my eyes.

He squeezed my hand a final time. "It means don't give up hope. _The Lost_ will be found." Then he let my hand go on the table, and picked up a sweet.

I turned my attention back to the green table when I felt a different pair of eyes on my being. It was that pale blonde boy I met earlier that day. He was looking between myself and Blaise, so he'd probably witnessed our odd exchange, and hopefully he was the only one. Blaise seemed determined not to look back at me or answer to his blonde companion as he probed him for information on what he apparently saw. When I caught his curious gaze with mine I could see the confusion shinning in them, and irritation as I kept my expression with a practiced blank look to it so as not to give myself away. I couldn't be sure what it was he saw, but I figured he'd say something to me later since he wasn't getting any answers from Blaise.

I also saw that colder look in the depths of his light gray eyes. I'm sure that if it were another time and place they would shine a pale blue, perhaps a warmed silver back when he was a child, for it was obvious to my eyes that any happiness that came to his life was minimal to none throughout his childhood. Judging by our encounter earlier I had no doubts that his true smile had been beaten out of him at a young age; he seemed even startled that he could laugh in such a free manner with me, and that's how I recognized that look in his eyes.

There was no mistaking it. The sadness and constant rage swimming in the depths of those metal pools mirrored that of my own whenever I stared back at myself in every reflection I'd cast. It only hurts more to see another, to know that someone else shares the same frost to their heart as I do, even by other means.

I smiled softly at him and he winched slightly. My smile widened, and he looked away from me as he seemed determined to glare a hole through his plate.

_Draco Malfoy..._I contemplated him for a while before down-casting my eyes to my barely touched food. _That's what Professor Minerva told me when she retrieved me for my introduction tonight. _

I felt his stare again but didn't return it this time. I smiled determinedly into my new cup of pumpkin juice, the first pushed away from me, still close to the top.

_I promise to help you smile again...my dragon...You'll fly yet again before I take my leave._ I stroked my pendant beneath my shirt.

_...I'll give you your fire back._

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><p><strong>I'm interested to see what ppl think about my girl, also about what her relations are to Blaise. *Raises eyebrows deviously* <strong>

**I'm hungry for REVIEWS! TELL ME WHAT HOUSE YOU THINK KARESSA SHOULD BE IN, and you'll find out in the next chapter! **

**;D - LoVeRsOfLiFe**


	4. See What's Within You, In Me

"The Feast is over. I welcome all the new students once more, and remember, never hesitate to drop by my office; I would be happy to assist you in any way needed as well as all other faculty members. Have a good night; now let us all retire to bed." Dumbledore announced to everyone as uneaten food and untouched cutlery vanished from view and all the students and teachers clapped.

Standing up, the prefect from each house called out to their 1st years to follow them to their dormitories while all others departed for their own rooms. I tapped Grandfather Dumble's arm and cleared my throat as I directed a quick glance over to Blaise. He caught the hint.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Dumbledore said, a few students stopped in their tracks to listen, "before you all embark your separate ways, I would like to speak with the Head Boy and Girl for a moment, and show them to their new rooms." I recognized the girl with the wild curls from the red table; she stepped aside from the moving crowd, and walked back towards us. She was the one who asked a more...polite question from the others. I could tell she enjoys knowledge a lot just by looking into her curious and intelligent eyes. Blaise and Draco shared a look, then Draco nodded to him, and stared at me from my perceptual vision - that I chose not to acknowledge. He kept his eyes on me even as he was the last to depart from the room, leaving the Heads, Grandfather Dumble, and I alone.

Well, aside from Mrs. Norris who only snuggled deeper into my arms as her loud purrs filled the silent Hall. I'll have to find Argus before heading to bed to return her to his side.

Both the girl and Blaise stared at me, but no one seemed to want o break the silence, and though I could feel their stares I barely noticed; concentrating more on the cat wriggling happily in my arms than those around me. Beside, Grandfather is sure to break the tension soon. As if reading my mind, Dumbledore began to speak to our small group.

"Well now, why don't we make our way to your new shared dorm," he spoke to the Heads before turning to me, "and then we shall see to your room, my dear." I looked up at him and smiled back. Dumbledore made his way to the double doors leading out of the Great Hall and we all followed sweet, the doors closing behind us with a soft thud.

There was a loud silence as we walked on, Blaise walked adjacent to me so that he could watch me curiously without seeming interested. I fixed my gaze on him from the corner of my eye, and allowed that warming sensation to fill my retinas, and his eyes widened significantly but he kept them locked onto mine as he moved closer to me. I saw it as a good sign so I tilted my head slightly to point the reflective surface of my hairpin to see a sliver of his eyes within them if he looked at them. I pointed my left hand towards my temple to each corner of my eyes and it encouraged him to do the same. I then gestured for him to look at my hairpin's reflective surface to see his eyes; because what I saw, made my heart skip two beats.

He looked at his eyes and took in a sharp breath inaudibly.

Even in the dark I could see his pupils dilating, and then they widened slowly, almost like a drop of ink smudged within his eyes.

At that point he went slack-jawed, eyes bewildered, and questioning as he blinked hard a few times.

He froze in place, so I stopped as well. His eyes were glancing toward Dumbledore as he, and the Head Girl continued walking, unaware of our break-off of movement.

I nodded, and he caught my eye again. "Relax. It's nothing to be concerned over." I spoke softly.

Blaise seemed to choke on air for a second, which caught the other two's attention to stop in their tracks to see us a short distance away from where they stopped themselves. I smiled at Blaise reassuringly before walking up to Dumbledore and giving him a look that relayed that I would need to speak with him shortly before retiring to bed tonight. He acknowledged my look and beckoned us all to follow him once again. The girl looked at both Blaise and I suspiciously and inched her way away from me and walked on Dumbledore's other side, Blaise sticking close to my back as he tried to will me to look back at him, shock forgotten as he regained his cool and caught up with us. There was a short silence before Dumbledore broke it, like I knew he would, as we made our way up to the seventh floor.

"Now here we are children." We had stopped in front of a large portrait at the end of a short hall, lined with four windows on both surrounding walls. The portrait was of a griffin and a large serpentine dragon snarling at one another as they circled each other menacingly, and poised to attack. "This shall be the entrance to the Head's common room. The two of you shall have to agree on a password for the door, you each have your own rooms, but must share a bathroom. Also, a reminder that you are allowed friends within your shared space as long as they abide by school curfews - this is mostly associated with the company of the opposite sex - and you may only have two friends stay the night as long as it doesn't affect with their daily school routines." he said with finality.

"Understood, Headmaster." They both had said dutifully.

"Very good children, have a good night." Grandfather shared a meaningful look with me before half turning away from the Head Boy and Girl, as if to lead me off and forgetting the other reason why I accompanied them to their dorm. The brunette girl seemed to notice as well, and said so before we could walk off.

"Um, Headmaster," she gave me a wary look. "You hadn't clarified why…Ms. Daniels has accompanied us to the Head's dormitory, if she won't be living here." Then suddenly, as if being aware of how rude she may have sounded, she blushed ashamedly. "I-I mean, not that it's a problem, I had only assumed that she would be in one of the guest bedrooms within the school; I didn't mean to offend." She corrected.

I smiled. "That's quite alright." I said. Dumbledore chuckled lightly.

"Do not fret, my dear, we had not mistook your meaning for impoliteness. I don't believe you meant any harm with your question, but right you are, Ms. Granger. This old mind of mine has me forgetting often so you must forgive me my fault. You see Ms. Daniels is indeed sleeping in a guest room, located on the fifth floor to be precise, but I wanted her to know her way around if she were to ever need assistance." That being said, he looked at Blaise. "It may be hard for her to adjust to such foreign surroundings, and it would seem better if she knew where to go if she ever had a question. Where better than the private quarters to speak with our Head Boy and Girl without prying eyes to watch, or large ears to be listening." He smiled secretly.

The Granger girl nodded her head. "Yes, of course, Headmaster." She smiled slightly. I noticed Blaise roll his eyes as he muttered something about "teacher's pet" and she glared at him.

"Also, before I show our new student to her quarters, I would like to ask that the both of you divide your time tomorrow and show her around the school." Dumbledore said on a last note.

Granger snapped her attention back to the Headmaster, and seemed about ready to retort if her shocked expression was anything to go by, but Blaise interrupted her. "As our duty as Heads, we'd be _happy_ to do so, Headmaster." He stared right at me. Granger narrowed her eyes suspiciously at us.

"This isn't a problem, is it, Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore eyed the young girl expectantly.

She flushed under all three of our gazes, and shook her head as she diverted her eyes from us. "Not at all, Headmaster Dumbledore. As Zabini said sir, we'd be _happy_ to oblige." She glared at Blaise. He smirked back at her. I did my best not to add insult to injury by laughing.

Grandfather smiled. "How wonderful to hear such enthusiasm to be helpful to a fellow peer; I hope you encourage such to all other students. However, as it may, I'd like for you to see her first thing in the morning, my dear. Young Blaise, you may take over right after lunch until curfew."

The poor witch was shocked to the core; clearly not prepared with an answer. Luckily Blaise stepped in and saved her from sputtering.

"That would be fine, Professor." He said. "We both shall see to making things comfortable here for Miss Daniels in showing her around." He looked at me then. "She'll be well looked after."

"That is exactly the initiative I like to hear from our Head boy." Dumbledore smiled proudly. "It gives me high hopes to hear such things right at the start of the year. This year should be more concentrated on unity and acceptance of the other houses, and I hope to see more of that with both your influences." He looked between Blaise and the Granger girl. They nodded assuredly.

Grandfather Dumble turned to me with a bright smile. "Now that that's settled, why don't I show you to your room, my dear? I'm sure you must be in need of some rest, hmm?"

I smiled kindly. "That would do fine, however I think I'll be up a little while longer. I haven't quite settled in yet so I think I'll organize a few of my belongings before laying down to rest." I stroked Mrs. Norris under her chin and she purred rather loudly in the silent corridor as she snuggled more firmly into my arms. Both young Heads looked at the cat in shock, as if it were such a strange occurrence to see the cat so affectionate. I wondered why that was; after all, she is just like any other feline I've come to know, so I was confused to the wonder in their curious gazes. I'll have to ask about that a later date.

"Of course, of course, we shall not waste another moment in our departure." We said our goodnights to our other company and began our trek back from which we came. "Remember, Miss. Daniels is located on the fifth level, with the portrait of each houses' signified animal. Have a fellow classmate take any respective notes needed for the classes you do not already have with her." We hadn't waited for an answer before we turned the corner and were out of their sight. It was a silent as we took a pair of moving stairs that transferred closer to my room for the school year.

"I take it you found something of interest in Mr. Zabini." It was more a statement, though I'm sure he might have meant it as a question.

I sighed lightly. I found something of interest alright, but I couldn't say I had a definite answer yet. "There is potential, but I need to be absolutely sure before I give any proper introductions." I looked at him then. "I hope to test the waters first, but I'd like more free time on his part so that we may discuss freely without the ever prominent time slots that school permits us."

Grandfather nodded. "I'll see to it that you have all the time you need to prepare him, if he shall be what you seek."

"I appreciate that." And with that we ended the conversation as we reached the entrance to my common room. I had to admire the portrait for its beauty. It had all four house animals painted into a scenic backdrop of what appeared to be a waterfall in a lush forest of oaks and evergreens. The lion, a large snake, were play fighting where the lion chased the snake between parted trees, and they nipped at each other good naturedly. A lovely raven flew just above them acting as a referee, while the badger lay curled up by a boulder near the lake pool's edge napping with one eye open watching the fun.

"If only the rivaling houses could get along just as well as this painting." Came Grandfather's resigned sigh. I smiled at the painting.

"Who knows? Maybe this year things could be different. After all, as far as I know, there has never been a muggle student to attend to Hogwarts. I'm sure before the end of the school year I'll be able to get all four houses to participate in a huge game of tag." That brought the mischievous twinkle back in his eye as he laughed quietly in amusement, which resounded off the walls in the dark corridor.

"That may be asking _too_ much of them, but it would be nice to see the Gryffindors get along better with the Slytherins." he smiled.

"Not to worry, Grandfather. You've got me to lift a little of your burdens this year, and I plan to help as much as I can while I'm here for the time being." I smiled up at him as Mrs. Norris shifted in my arms again.

"Now, now, you shouldn't be worrying yourself over such small matters such as a feud that runs far longer than either of our years." He tried to ease my interest. I shook my head.

It's no trouble. I don't intend to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, I can promise you that." I assured. "However if it were ever to breach the subject with a fellow classmate than I'll give my opinion, or better yet help set an example by encouraging others to see things from an outsiders view. " My smile was gone as a haunting feeling drifted over my body. "I'm actually quite tired of dealing with such animosities."

Grandfather was silent as he observed me openly now.

I paused then. "The more involved I am here to possibly change some people's views the better. It gives me more distractions from my own problems at the given time…and if I can change things here; a place still rather behind in it new customs, then maybe there's hope for…" Grandfather held my hand gently, which I hadn't realized was shaking slightly.

He squeezed in comfortingly. "If you wish to take some of my burdens, then I'll be here to take some of yours. I brought you here to alleviate some of your troubles, not remind you of them." He stroked my hand. "I only want you to relax and try to enjoy yourself here."

I smiled wanly up at him and squeezed his hand back when I felt my hand was steady enough to do so. "You've already done so much for me, Grandfather. Don't worry I'll be alright, and as for my troubles, well…I can't _not_ think about them, but being here makes it easier not to have them control my actions."

I gave him a true smile then as I gestured around us with our conjoined hands. "This place gives me a new sense of wonder that I'm sure will distract me well enough, so thank you for bringing me here. I don't think I'll ever know how you pull it off." I laughed to myself and he joined me.

"No, I don't reckon you will. An old man knows how to keep a good secret." He said.

"Because you're wise through the ways of having someone trick you into telling one?"

"No, because with old age you often forget old secrets; the minds of the elderly are quite minute once you have little to do when you reach such an age." He said sagely with a devilish twinkle in his eye. I almost broke out into hysterical laughter; I knew he was kidding.

Sometimes I fear that I might have been driven mad without Grandfather Dumble there to ease my worries and remind me how to smile.

Another distraction well appreciated in my saddest moments.

I gave him a one-armed hug, being careful not to squish the cat between us. "You're not that old yet, as I've told you a thousand time before, and thank you for bringing my spirits up."

He returned the hug as he stroked an old hand through my dark hair. "Anytime, I'll always be here for you, my dear." We both pulled back and smiled at one another. He bid me goodnight and I did the same as I watched him head back down the short hall to make his way to his own room, another four halls down from my own.

I pat the cat's head one last time before placing her gently on her paws down at my feet. "Go on you silly feline, I'm sure your Mr. Filch is lonely patrolling the halls on his own without you. It's time I get to bed just the same." She blinked her red eyes up at me before nuzzling her little body against me as she circled my legs one last time, then trotted off in the direction of the stairs and left me alone in the empty dead-end hallway.

I admired the portrait one last time before pulling my new pin out of the pocket of my shorts and fed it to the snake. The snake swallowed it and I could clearly see the pin travel down through its body to sit in its gullet, only to see shortly after the raven produce a key for me to open my door. I took the ornately designed key and pressed it into the hidden lock under the badger once he rolled to his side on the rock. I unlocked the door then returned the key to the raven that placed it back in its nest, but before I walked inside I stroked the lion once so that it could step on the snake's tail, and return my pin to me.

It all seemed like a long process but it only took me a minute to complete.

I gingerly took the pin back and placed it back into my pocket as I walked past the threshold and into my room. I felt a familiar security spell caress my skin for a second before it recognized my presence and laid itself to rest back at the entrance. You could never be too careful, which is why I just stood there a moment to observe the room before me to see if anything had been disturbed while I was away.

Everything looked to be fine; the sitting room for where I would do my studies or should I have anyone over was spacious enough to hold a gathering of roughly thirty people, but still intimately small that should there only be three people, we could hear each other perfectly without raising our voices across the room. There was a small brown leather couch with a matching love seat and reading chair circled around a cozy fireplace – floo not included – with dark burgundy pillows with golden tassels settled fashionably on each chair. There was a low; round glass-top table supported by cherry tree wood legs that had a golden orb the size of a tennis ball curled at the feet, while the walls were painted cool beige for tranquility. To balance the room there were two glass windows on opposite walls of each, to the left and right of the entrance, with a door beside each of them and burgundy curtains with gold trimming at the ends and some various vases, scenery paintings, and three potted plants around the room.

Walking straight across the plush carpet with my bare feet I went right across into my room, which Grandfather warded with a charm placed on the inside to keep uninvited guests from entering, or opening the door if it were closed. I had taken the time the day before to decorate my room with the help of Ms. Minerva, and found that the finishing product was well achieved, in tones of blue and green for a peaceful setting. The opposite wall to the door were four paneled windows that had cushioned window seats built into them for a relaxing read, or just to gaze out towards the forest and the vast ocean. My room was located in the perfect direction so that it wasn't likely someone could sneak up to my window from school grounds, and it was one of the few closest to the more dangerous side of the castles walls since it pointed into direct sunlight off the ocean water. I was always an early riser who came up when the sun did, but if I were to ever sleep in I had thick sea green curtains hang across all the windows, but were currently all tied to their sides with silver draw strings hooked against the wall. To my left I had a bookshelf that held both books and a few pictures scattered about them, my writing desk was next to it with a few quills with peacock feather ends and parchment sitting on it as well as a current book I was reading on its surface.

There were four tall vases sitting in my room, two with peacock feathers and another two with dried bamboo trunks in them. The feathers were set on either end of the windows while the bamboo had one pot near the door and the other was next to the bathroom door on the right wall. Also to the right sat my vanity with some of my beauty products, body lotion, blue and green scented candles, moving as well as still pictures on the corner shelves, my hair brush, and decorative clips and jewelry I kept in a music box I got as a gift, right next to my perfume collection. My vanity was parallel to my desk, but dresser was on the same wall as the door leading to the sitting room, although the bedroom already came with a walk-in closet – beside the vanity, closest to the window – I used the closet as holding space for all of my more private sentiments and valuables. Finally the big finish was the large queen sized canopy bed in the center of the room, with silk blue-green curtains that hung down strong black beams that held the top up, attached to the matching bed frame.

Flopping down on my comfortable bed I tossed my shoes towards the closet and unpinned my hair. I lazily stripped myself down to the nude and slunk my body under the thin dark blue sheet. The moment my head hit the large matching colored pillows I instantly relaxed into the mattress. I had planned to unpack a few other trinkets of mine, but since I had completed most of each room I felt I could do all that tomorrow before breakfast. Turning on my side I stared out the windows into the night sky, the star crystal clear in the dark sky. I stroked my necklace fondly as I thought of my family, until I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

_May they all have as restful a night as I am. At least ghosts can't chase you in your dreams._

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><p><strong>AN:**** God it's taken me FOREVER to get past this part! And I finally updated!**

**I just felt I needed to get a description out before continuing, and I don't intend to do as much again, so sorry if this chapter bored you. Things will move at medium pace for now, and then pick up faster later on, I PROMISE I'm working on updating better, it's just hard when you already know what you want in the middle and end, only to see that you have no real beginning . -_-' **

**I'M WORKING ON IT SO BE FAITHFUL AND THX FOR BEING PATIENT!**

**~ LoVeRsOfLiFe**


	5. Take the Time and Learn

**10/24/11**

**A/N:**** PHEW! Finally got this up! Sorry for the long wait everyone, it would have been up by the end of Sept. but that's when my younger brother & sister's (a.k.a. **_**AaliyahNeverson**_**) birthday was as well as my grampa's, not to mention Thanksgiving… so I've been distracted. That's why, because of the long wait I made a longer chapter for you guys, however I also ended up splitting it in two. ;P**

**A BIG THANKS:**

**for adding me on STORY ALERT**_** - **__Amaya Sirett, LiliAnn Jackson, Midnight Ash Princessa, ninjawaffles96, & stephanie-lly_

**for REVIEWING**** – **_xXMizz Alec VolturiXx_

**for FAVORITING**** – **_bloodrose's dance, Nes4597, shark-demon-luv, & xXMizz Alec VolturiXx _

_**ANDDDDD…**_

**SPECIAL THANKS TO:** _Urbi et Orbi_

_**- for the conductive criticizim in your **__**REVIEW**__**, for **__**FAVORITING**__**, for **__**STORY ALERT**__**, and for adding me onto your **__**FAVORITE AUTHOR**_

_**3 Thank you sooo much guys for all your support! 3**_

* * *

><p>At 5:00 a.m. I awoke with a calm feeling, just as the sun colored the tips of rocky terrain in the distance, and the ocean glittered with the first rays of sun. Though still dark within my room I could see well enough to jump-start my day as I watched the stars blink out of the sky one by one, and hear the silence transfer into noise. I got out of bed, goose bumps littering my skin from the unexpected cold of the wooden floorboards; I'll have to lay down my carpets first thing this morning, one that surrounds the bed, and another by the window. Walking around the bed I took a beeline right into the bathroom and stepped on the lush black carpeting Grandfather Dumble helped place so that there were no tiles seen on the ground. It was thoughtful of him to place a cleanliness and drying spell on the floor so the carpet wouldn't get ruined, also that cute little mint tray to always refill itself once empty.<p>

Taking a mint I sucked on it thoughtfully as I inspected the bathroom. It had a conjoined door for guests to use if they were in the sitting area, and once someone was using the bathroom both doors would lock instantaneously, but both doors had to be closed properly to do so. I had the bathroom decorated in tones of grey, black, and white with black towels with white trimming and branded with a diamond shape and a 'H' within its center. The countertop was black marble, as were the tiles within the shower stall and the generous Jacuzzi tub I was provided; all visible pipes and handles within the room were silver. I opened the small linen closet and pulled out a plain towel, and placed it on a shelf mounted over the toilet between the shower and the tub. Sitting atop the toilet seat cozy cover I started wrapping my hair up to pin it messily atop my head, then started the shower and got in.

After my shower I went about getting dressed, deciding I'd wear an altered version of the school uniform with my appointed house colors. I swooped my hair up to the left side of my head and placed my newly crafted pin in it, made with my House crest, of course. Looking out the window I noticed the sun's position and figured it was only 6:15, but breakfast was at 7:30 so I went about organizing what was left of my small personal belongings while I waited for the Head girl to arrive and give me a guided tour throughout the morning.

My mind drifted to Blaise while I fussed about my belongings. _I'll need to study him a little more carefully._ I let a small smile ghost across my lips and shook my head bewildered. _To think there would be a possibility that he's –_

I stopped my train of thought as three sharp knocks came from the door. Checking myself in the mirror one last time by the door I opened it to see the Granger girl standing there, hand raised in mid-knock. She seemed disbelieving that I was up and ready to go when it was still quite early; clearly she wasn't expecting me to be up in such early hours.

If the way her face showed a little disappointment I could swear that she came early on purpose to possibly fluster me the way she was last night. I can't say I don't blame her though; she was kind of being picked on yesterday, though she only had herself to blame by providing such opportunities.

Huffing silently she straightened her shoulders and looked me over, her face gaining a little more color each time she found something she disliked about my outfit.

"What on earth have you done to your _uniform_?" she said eyes wide and face red.

I looked down at myself and shrugged. "I altered it a little." I looked up at her. "You don't like it?"

"Heaven, _no_!" she shrieked. I raised a brow. "This-this _outfit_ is completely against school code regulations. You've debased your uniform and broke the strict dress-code as a student of Hogwarts. I-I ought to give you detention for _this_." She said disgustedly.

I gav_e _her disarming smile. "Well all things considered, Ms. Granger, I'm not technically an average student of Hogwarts; I'm more along the lines of a guest if anything so I'm not supposed to follow regular dress codes except that they are appropriate for school." I twirled around once and faced her again, and placed my hands down at my sides. "Is everything to the appropriate length and no audacious amounts of skin showing?"

I could tell she was blushing from under the red of what was left of her outburst and she seemed abashed as she answered me with a begrudged 'yes', but just as quickly as her outburst came, the quicker she changed the subject.

Putting on my black open-toed wedges we left my room on the fifth level and proceeded through the halls of each floor before descending the stair unto the main floor. Granger seemed tense around me and she spoke rapidly about everything we passed like a real tour guide, stating a few historical facts when we walked past something important on our way. If only to prove my point I touched her shoulder lightly, interrupting her speech about a painting we had passed, and she flinched away from me as we paused in our walking.

There were quite a few people out in the halls and although they all watched as we walked by, when we stopped so did the few around and listened in to see what would happen. I looked at Granger slightly taken back by her reaction.

"Are you alright Ms. Granger?" I asked puzzled.

"I'm fine." She said tightly, keeping her distance from me.

"It's only that I noticed that you seem a little…uneasy around me, is there something you –"

"I said I'm fine." She repeated and was walking once more ahead of me. I scrunched my brow in confusion as I caught up to her. After a few moments of silence she sighed and looked at me warily. "Listen, I…I'm sorry about reacting the way I did." She paused. "You could say it's an instinct I've acquired."

I smiled at her sincerity. "Not a problem, I understand how you feel. I'm new here and obviously not of the norm you'd have here at the school; it makes sense for you not to trust me."

She blushed. "I really am sorry."

"Don't be."

"I mean it, who am I to judge you when I myself am a muggle-born, I just –"

"No, no, don't berate yourself for reacting on instinct." I smiled widely at her. "You should never second guess yourself like that; it could be the very deciding factor of life and death if you hesitate." My smile dropped a little. She stared at me puzzled over my offhanded comment.

I looked around us and saw that we had reached the entranceway to the Great Hall. "Besides, we only really met just yesterday, so I don't blame you."

She smiled slightly at me. "I guess that's true, but it would probably help more if you told a little more about yourself. I don't believe you ever mentioned where you came from; I don't recognize your accent."

"I see that you deduced that I wasn't born in London, and you're right about that, something you must excel in if my guided tour was anything to go by." I smiled. "You must be the brightest student Hogwarts has the pleasure of receiving."

She beamed at me with a small blush. "Thank you, but I must have bored you with some of the facts I gave you about every little thing we came across." She looked away from me. "I know some of the things I may say seem trivial, and I'm sure I went overboard with my explanations, but –"

She was starting to babble. "It's alright Ms. Granger, no harm done. You have a healthy hunger for knowledge and I respect you for it. I certainly hope you put that wonderful brain to good use in your years to come, and may no one take advantage of you in such a way; you're worth so much more than that." I said sincerely.

She stared at me wide-eyed for a long moment before she smiled brightly back at me. "Hermione."

I blinked at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"My name, I don't believe it was ever mentioned before; I never noticed 'til just now how you only use my surname." She stretched her hand out to me. "Hello, I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger."

I laughed and grasped her hand back. "It's very nice to meet you Hermione. I'm Karessa, Karessa Daniels. I look forward to seeing you during my stay here." We shook and then dropped our hands.

She looked a little awkward for a moment. "Well, I guess I'll see you after breakfast and escort you to your first class?"

"Alright," I said. "See you soon after then." Then we walked into the Great Hall to sit while we waited for food to be served.

* * *

><p>Waking up this morning was hell, and the year had only just begun.<p>

The night before was chaos within the Slytherin Common room; my fellow housemates had been in the mists of an even bigger uproar than the last time. Nearly everyone was up late talking about the new girl _again_ and either thinking of ways to make her year a living hell or corresponding back and forth to their parents about seeing to their transfers from school to another. It was all rather annoying how over exaggerative everyone was being about the matter.

I had gotten a response from my parents to the letter I wrote them earlier in the day; although the response was expected I had assumed they took it in calm fury with this strange occurrence, Father had seemed it was most appropriate to stand my ground and set the duty to put this muggle in her place while here. That was perfectly fine with me, however I felt it would be wise to inform him of her house placement as well; he's bound to get a real kick out of that.

My night only increased on how awful it was since Blaise had been moved out from the boy's dormitory; and without him I now had to share a dorm with Crabbe snoring loudly on the bed beside me. It only made my situation worse with the walls being thin; I could hear Goyle in the next room competing with Crabbe for who could snore the loudest. The only bright side was Theo would have just as bad a night as I was seeing as he was Goyle's roommate.

So here I was trudging into the Great Hall and glaring at anybody who dared look towards me when suddenly there was an annoying flash in my eye, and I glared in its direction. My mood seemed to have darkened as I caught sight of the object of the Slytherins' loathing. Sitting off from the others of her House sat that muggle Daniels writing something down in a little silver-blue book as she ate her breakfast; not even concerned for the hard stares she was receiving from her housemates. She seemed to be wearing the school uniform today, only I had to admit it looked a lot better than our own.

_Never in my days would I ever have thought I'd hate the color green the way I do now._ I thought glaring holes in the girl's back as I took a seat next to Parkinson_._

That's right, _green_. She was wearing green; that twisted sorting hat placed her in _Slytherin_. Of all the houses she could have been placed in the stupid head piece chose the House filled to the brim with_ prejudiced_, belonging to Death-Eater parents,_ purebloods_. I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking even allowing the hat to suggest such a ludicrous declaration; I was sure she'd be placed in Gryffindor, but here she was sitting at our table like she _belonged_ there. She had on a plaid green, black and silver skirt, a silk green and silver scarf instead of the traditional tie, she wore a black fitted jacket with silver threads and snake cufflinks with shiny green lining on the inside instead of the customary black robes everyone else wore, and to complete the ensemble she wore knee length white socks with black wedged heels on her feet and the newly accustomed Slytherin pin she placed in her hair.

I glanced around the room. _She's a Slytherin so no one will trust her from the other houses; she's also a muggle so no one from her __**own**__ House will acknowledge her…_

I sighed to myself; I almost felt sorry for her.

_No sense crying over spilt pumpkin juice. _I thought to myself._ Besides, she'll have enough enemies in her own house alone if Pansy and Millicent get their way._

Even those late to breakfast were avoiding sitting near her, like she had dragon pox or something, though she paid them no mind. Her only company came from the front of the room where Filch's insufferable cat jumped up onto the table beside her and she stopped what she was doing long enough to smile at the sourpuss and feed it a piece of her bacon. She continued writing shortly after she poured a new glass of juice and took a hesitant sip from it, though she had half a glass unfinished, and pushed away to the right of her.

_That's odd._ I noticed._ I'll have to look into that later._

For some reason she noticed my stare and she looked right at me. I glared at her but suddenly flinched uncharacteristically when she smiled back at me. I looked away first. I sneered to myself as I heard her short giggle.

"Who the _hell_ does this girl think she is?" I heard Pansy whisper loudly to Millicent beside me as she glared past me and right at Daniels. "The tart has the nerve to change the school uniform as if she deserves special treatment."

"I know, right?" agreed Millicent. "I mean really, what's the point in placing her in a House if she's not even going to be wearing the same clothes as us or have reason to even step within the Common room; let alone the dormitories."

Pansy smirked. "It's a shame; we could have had a lot more fun with her if she actually lived with the rest of us." Her eyes took on a darker look. "The girls could have given her quite the warm welcome –"

"You shouldn't even be thinking about that." I said snidely as I stabbed a fork into my eggs. "No one is allowed to mess with her." I said heatedly as I directed my stern gaze to the two girls.

Pansy bristled at my tone. "Under whose orders am I to be concerned about the welfare of a _muggle_?" she sneered.

"That would be mine." We turned to see Blaise standing behind me to my left, almost blocking my view from the object of our conversation. "Not to mention she's under the protection of _The Institute of Muggle Lovers Around_."

"What?" I stared at him like he'd gone batty. He picked up an apple and tossed it in his hand.

"Dumbledore's got close eyes on her, like McGonagall; Daniels has even managed to get old-man Filch on her side, with the way she coddles that smarmy cat of his." He shook his head in bewilderment.

"Besides that, you heard what McGonagall said yesterday morning; anyone who tries a stunt against her could lose up to 100 points on their House individually." I stared back at the girls. "So you'd be stupid to try something against her."

Pansy scoffed uncaringly and swatted her hand through the air as if to bat away such advice. "Bullocks! It's all a matter of being clever enough not to be noticed as a perpetrator in the grand scheme of things." She said returning to her breakfast, and then she added on a last note. "Who better than a Slytherin when it comes to sneaky deeds?" she smirked.

"Considering you just said that in front of our Head Boy only leads me to believe you aren't as smart or crafty as a _true_ Slytherin should be." I deadpanned. She gave me a not so lady-like hand gesture and I smirked at her scowl.

Blaise shook his head. "I don't need to talk to scatter-brain Trewlaney to see that our House doesn't have a future in winning the House cup this year." He said dejectedly. He bit into his apple as he walked away, other hand in his pocket.

As he chewed thoughtfully his steps faltered as he passed by Daniels and they had a brief moment of eye contact. She smiled shortly; he nodded his head then continued walking. He and Theo crossed paths next and said their quick greetings before Nott plopped himself a seat right next to Daniels, staring rather intently at her. She looked at him shortly and he grinned at her. I couldn't hear their conversation well since Crabbe and Goyle started talking rather loudly about one thing or another across from me, but I did take note of Nott's hand grasping one of hers under the table sitting atop her knees. It was rather infuriating to watch as she smiled curiously at him as she listened to him intently, body turned towards him, and then converse back. I glared daggers at their conjoined hands as Theo moved them above the table and he kissed her hand.

She giggled at him and his grin widened.

He leaned towards her and looked about ready to ask her something when he was interrupted by the two young Slytherin girls that Pansy had glared at from the night before. They seemed quite excited to talk to her as they bounced in place while smiling widely at her. Daniels had discreetly released her hand from Nott's as she smiled up at the two young girls talking animatedly to her. She excused herself politely from Theo as she turned completely in her seat to face the new company. Theo must have felt my stare since he half turned his face to look right at me and winked. I raised a brow at him and he shrugged.

Shortly after she turned back to him and apologized for their interruption. As I suspected he asked her question in which she gave him a sly closed-mouth smile and gave him an answer. It must have been well received since he grinned smugly and shrugged his shoulders, which right after he promptly stood up and walked towards our side of the table.

I glared up at him. "What was that all about?" he smirked back at me.

"Not sure what you mean, Draco, m' boy." He also didn't sit down and picked up an apple.

"You lying snake!" Pansy jumped in. "You know exactly what he's talking about. Why the bloody hell were you getting all chummy with that _muggle_? Forgotten your breeding, have you?" she snared her nose up at him. Nott snorted.

"Not in the least my dear _flower_," you could hear the slight venom in the endearment. "I was only making a kind gesture; what with the girl's entire House avoiding her, she'll have enough enemies to deal with just because she wears green." He shrugged. "I'm simply trying to make her feel a little more welcomed." It was an echo to Blaise's previous words.

"And hopefully she'll feel plenty welcomed into your bed as well." I raised a brow at him. Though I'd spoken it as a question it seemed more appropriate as a statement; why else would he be talking to her.

Again he shrugged, taking a bite from his apple. "Your words, not mine." He said as a farewell before taking his leave.

We had already been given our timetables so I finished my breakfast and gathered my things as I awaited the first bell before class. I had joined in a pointless conversation about the new DADA teacher – I swear that position is cursed – before McGonagall called for everyone's attention while that muggle girl stood beside her.

My eyes narrowed. _When the bullocks did she have time to walk right past me?_

"Attention students!" McGonagall started. "I trust that everyone has received their timetables and have all their books and supplies prepared for each designated subject. Now before the first bell rings, I'm sure there are a lot of questions about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and I'll alleviate them now." She looked around the room to make sure she had everyone's attention.

Clearing her throat she continued. "First off, due to our surprise guest joining this new school year it had slipped the faculty's mind to welcome back an old friend and fellow colleague, Professor Horace Slughorn." The old man sitting off to the side stood from his seat and waved at the students with a wide smile as everyone clapped politely for him, before sitting back in his place. McGonagall addressed the students once again. "With that being said, Professor Slughorn shall be our replacement in teaching all Potions classes."

Everyone started whispering to one another at this. I looked over to my Godfather, Snape for an answer since he was the current Potions teacher, but he sat coolly where he was; apparently not to be bothered by this sudden news. He almost seemed pleased.

"Therefore, please give a round of applause to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, our formerly residing Professor Severus Snape!" Snape stood from his seat, and the Slytherins cheered loudly, standing from their seats while most of the other Houses watched on in shock or clapped quietly in their seats murmuring to one another.

"Now, with all that settled there is one other thing that needs to be covered, so without further a due I ask that your attention moves unto Miss. Daniels who has something to say." With that Daniels stepped up when McGonagall stood back.

"Thank you, Professor." She smiled back at her before turning towards her audience. "I would only like to inform that I have taken a list from all those who had seen me about joining my training program and we will have our first meeting Thursday the week after during 5th period, and don't worry about missing class, as long as I have your names down on the sign-up sheet – which should include your teacher's name and the class you are scheduled to be in, you will be excused from class." She paused to let what she said sink in.

"Furthermore, if you haven't signed up now you can always sign up later if you change your mind. If the number of participants increases rapidly then I'll eventually schedule different times to each year and switch between conjoining Houses. However, I'd like to state that if you are attending a meeting, that all openings into the classroom we'll be using will be magically sealed from all else who do not have the correct pass to enter or a personal invitation." She smiled mischievously then. "We can't have people skipping class while using these meetings as an alibi." A few people laughed.

"All that is left to say is after Thursday's meeting; all others will be rescheduled to after dinner and scattered throughout the week on break. I'll send everyone a schedule and I'll notify all of any changes as the term goes by; and _please_, if anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask me. I'll be happy to help. Thank you."Everyone clapped for her again just before the first bell rang, and everyone filed out of the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>As soon as the bell rang students were gathering their things and heading in the direction of their classes with their friends. Hermione had made good on her word and found Karessa in the large chaos of people, hurrying at their own leisure, and guided her to an open alcove where she looked over her timetable. Comparing them, Hermione took a note on how different their schedules looked in just how they were divided. Hermione's followed the regular system;<p>

_**Semester 1:**_

_Breakfast in the Great Hall_

_Transfiguration_

_Arithmancy _

_Break_

_Double Potions (with the Slytherins)_

_Lunch in the Great Hall_

_Break_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts (with the Slytherins)_

_History of Magic_

_Dinner in the Great Hall_

_**Semester 2:**_

_Breakfast in the Great Hall_

_Herbology_

_Free time_

_Break_

_Ancient Runes_

_Lunch in the Great Hall_

_Break_

_Charms_

_Astronomy_

_Dinner in the Great Hall_

However Karessa's was divided differently. Her classes weren't broken up into two semesters; instead it just switched the course each _week_;

_**Week 1**_

_Breakfast in the Great Hall_

_Art_

_Herbology_

_Break_

_Double Potions (with the Gryffindors)_

_Lunch in the Great Hall_

_Break_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts (with the Gryffindors)_

_Free time (Assisting in Astronomy)_

_Dinner in the Great Hall_

_**Week 2**_

_Breakfast in the Great Hall_

_Free time_

_Music_

_Break_

_Care of Magical Creatures (Assisting)_

_Lunch in the Great Hall_

_Break_

_Divination_

_History of Magic_

_Dinner in the Great Hall_

Hermione looked at the two schedules strangely.

"Karessa?" she inquired. "Why does your schedule work based on the week and not by the semester like it should?"

Looking down at both schedules as well Karessa shrugged her shoulders lightly and produced Hermione a slight smile. "I may not be here the whole school year. It's better to get what I can while I am, in case I were to leave before finishing."

Hermione seemed puzzled. "But why would you do that?"

"It's not because I don't like being here. It's just that I don't stay in one place for very long." She started walking down the hall backwards, watching Granger with amused eyes. "I'm used to moving around a lot, you see, and if I am to make class on time we should probably keep moving now as well, yes?" she smiled back at the Head Girl.

Hermione laughed and jogged to catch up to her before directing her hurriedly down a different hallway. Their laughter heard even long after they were out of sight as a lone figure stepped out of the darkness of the alcove the two girls had been occupying. The person stared down the hall in which they had departed as other students passed by towards their own classes.

The person tapped their shoe on the hard surface of the floor in a contemplative manner, as they narrowed their eyes in suspicion.

"How curious is this." A deep voice whispered to themselves. "I wonder…"by then the teachers guiding last minute students on how to get to their classes were calling out to rush everyone's pace since the second bell was to ring shortly; and as such the lone figure made their way to their first class.

Hermione delivered Karessa to her first class within minutes to spare before the late bell rang. Daniels chose a seat close to the window so that Hermione could sit upon the pane's ledge if she got tired of standing, and also to ensure that she did not unknowingly take another's seat by sitting beside Karessa.

The class filled up rather well for an Art course with a mix of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs making the majority of the class with a few Gryffindors in the mix, but it appeared that Karessa was the only Slytherin that had Art first period.

She wasn't sure why, but Hermione felt sympathetic towards the lovely girl.

She was doomed as both a muggle and a Slytherin.

"Something wrong, Hermione?"Karessa asked, echoing her earlier words to her again, sounding a bit concerned.

Hermione shook herself from her thoughts. "Yes, I'm quite alright." Realizing her mistake she let out a short laugh. "I mean no, nothings the matter, but thanks for your concern." She gave Daniels a guilty look. "I really am sorry for how I acted towards you earlier. I guess its ju – "

"Just instinct. It's alright Hermione." Karessa smiled. "Gryffindors and Slytherins have been rivals since before our time and I understand that there aren't many…_decent _people who come from the House, but where's the right to judge someone based on what color they are? I mean, does everyone have a legitimate reason for disliking the other Houses, or is their disdain only based on loyalty to their friends who have an issue with said people?"

Hermione thought about her words carefully. "You make a valid point, Karessa. I can't speak for many others, but in my case I do have reason to take caution with anyone from Slytherin. After all I am a muggle-born."

"And that should not be a reason in which you are picked on by others who consider themselves of 'pure' blood." Karessa looked down at her lap forlornly.

"…It shouldn't be enough to start a war over." She spoke in a low sad whisper.

At that point she had pulled out a note book and sketchpad, right as the bell rang, and the professor walked to the front of the class so Hermione was unable to ask Karessa what type of insight she had on the subject. All she could do was cast curious glances her way while the teacher spoke up front.

By the time class was over, Hermione's embarrassment had made her forget all about asking Karessa anymore questions. The Art class had started out with a simple lesson on shape and form, but then the teacher decided that with Granger in the room with nothing to do, that it would be a good idea for everyone to sketch _her_ for their first sketch of the year.

If she remembered correctly the professor said _'The light of the sun falls perfectly around your form. With the way you are positioned, it will allow us to sketch every contour of your body to the fine naked detail.'_

To say the teacher wasn't ecstatic to see such color to her cheeks was an understatement. The red to her face only got brighter as compliments, questions, and input about the shape of something on her body became more frequent and bold as time passed, and she prayed for the class to end.

As they left Karessa had started a polite conversation with a Ravenclaw girl Hermione didn't know as she was headed to the same class as them. The girl had short blonde hair that fell by her shoulders in large curls that made her look younger than she really was, especially since she was on the short side to begin with. They were trading ideas on how to perfect their drawings, and Karessa was mostly pointing out what would give the girl's sketch an extra kick to get a certain angle right on the position of Hermione's face and the distance between her eyes.

Looking at Hermione's wooden posture Karessa laughed lightly as she brought her speed up a notch to align her steps with Granger's – since she seemed to be discreetly running from the classroom in which they came from – and lightly nudged her stiff shoulder as she looked at Hermione's lessening red face.

"Oh come on, Hermione, it wasn't that bad." She pointed a narrowed gaze at Daniels. "It wasn't! You made a wonderful model to sketch, and I agree with the Professor's statement; you looked lovely the way the sun hit you, like you were glowing."

"Radiant even." The curly blonde pitched in.

And just like that the blush returned, but at least she was smiling at the compliment this time.

"Yeah, well next time remind me never to stand in sunlight ever again." And then they were all laughing.

Herbology went by in a blur, but it went by a lot quicker with the rowdy Gryffindors to pass the time for Hermione. She regrets to say that once she saw some of her friends there she drifted away from Karessa for the whole class. The Head Girl remembered looking over at her once to see her sitting alone, at a desk that could easily hold three people, writing in her journal until she felt Granger's stare and looked up at her. She smiled back before looking back down to what she was doing again, when the Slytherin within the room laughed about what one of them said in one corner of the room.

Hermione could hear her own friends' laughter in the back of her mind and it only made her feel worse about leaving Karessa's side.

She only felt worse when she didn't leave her friends to join her.

Hermione would be lying to herself if she said that she still didn't trust the girl, if not just a little. What was that old saying again? _Old habits die hard_. How true that is; but then as a proper bookworm should, she remembered her own mantra; _never judge a book by its cover_. The only problem was she couldn't decide whether judging Karessa by her color was the title of this book, or if her kind nature was a façade for something darker hidden within its chapters. Then again, relating her to a book only made the idea seem all the more crazy in Hermione's mind.

But if one thing could apply, it was that Karessa Daniels is not of the norm. Hermione was determined to figure out her secret.

* * *

><p>Granger wasn't the first to see that there was something going on with the young muggle. Draco contemplated on the bits of information he picked up based on Daniels body language and taking note on her habits during breakfast that morning. He was one of the few Slytherins who had Herbology as one of their morning classes, and the coincidence that he'd be placed in the same class as the muggle girl. He ignored most of his fellow House mates as he subtly watched the girl from the corner of his eye. He had seen her enter in with Granger and some blonde Ravenclaw chit, but they had both dispersed from her side as soon as their friends arrived and left her to her own devices. It both amused and awed him to see that the Gryffindor mudblood wasn't as good a person as some thought her to be.<p>

He may not like muggles, but seeing as she was one you'd think the Head Girl would live up to her duty and stay by the girl's side. He wondered if he'd get anything for reporting her to the Headmaster, only he feared the old man may see that as a window to friendship or fancy, and he didn't want him getting the wrong idea.

He merely felt that others should stick to their own kind.

That being said though doesn't mean he would like to see all others that aren't pureblood wiped out. Sure he believed in blood supremacy; that because of his blood and high standing in the Wizarding World that everyone else was below him, but he also found that following a _Lord_ who spouts words of insanity of obsessions such as purging the world of mudbloods and blood traitors, when he himself was a part of that group.

He is a traitor to _his_ own kind, and Draco Malfoy would not be stupid enough to follow a traitor willingly. However he has a bigger picture to look at and far dire consequences to think of should he reject the Dark Lord's preachings. He had his mother to worry about – being dragged into it by both her sister and husband, and she follows in silence if only to protect him, and so he does as she to do the same. He may not agree with what goes on but he'll swallow his tongue if it meant keeping his family safe – despite what popular belief was about him, he had _some_ morals left – his only duty was to protect his family, as was his loyalty to his kin. So until the day the camel's back breaks, he will always stand by his family

No matter how wrong they may be.

Breaking from his thoughts he listened to whatever he could pick up from Professor Sprout's rambling about how the school term would go when thankfully the bell rang for their morning break.

He gave one last glance to Daniels before he walked out the door, but he must have taken too long to look away since she lifted her eyes to his, and those star pupils captivated him. She smiled lightly before walking right past him out into the hall, where the crowds of people swallowed her form within them.

There was something about her that just got to him, even the day they met and it still lingered beneath the surface, and he couldn't for the life of him figure it out. There was an attraction of course; no denying that even when he first saw her despite her heritage, but it was something about her eyes that caught him every time they looked upon him. It was more than just their odd shape; there was something within them that spoke to him whenever their eyes met.

…Like an understanding.

He scoffed at that thought as he weaved his way through the halls. She couldn't possibly understand what he was going through, what he'd be forced to do shortly after he graduated, what should await him once he left the solitude of these strong walls, or even when the time came that the Dark Lord should make Malfoy Manor his headquarters, to understand that he had no choice on which side to be on in the upcoming war.

How many people he'll have to see suffer, by his hand or another.

He took a shuddering breath and squared his shoulders. No, she could never relate to what he is soon to face. She was just some stupid muggle in a Wizarding school that would teach her everything she could never use, and yet no one but Dumbledore himself and his most trusted knew what she was really doing here.

But all the same, to see such empathy in her eyes, when she gazed back into his curious orbs…

It strangely comforted him.

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><p><strong>AN:**** I've decided to end it here and continue where I left off in the next chapter which will be posted shortly after I finish how I wanted to end it. Thank you all for being so patient and I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween to come. "REVIEW OR TREAT!" :D**

**- LoVeRsOfLiFe**


	6. It's Winner Takes All

**A/N: ****Completed at 11/11/11 11:11p.m to the 11****th**** second XD XD XD. I had to do it! But here's the chapter I promised, however I'm going to add more to the ending the next day so keep an eye out for an update on any changes! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

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><p>Blaise had been waiting all morning to confront Karessa about the strange happening between them last night, and he was driving himself mad trying to understand what it all meant. He'd hoped he might run into her before she made her way to class, but it appeared her scheduled guide was an ever presence by her side. Since he couldn't catch her then, he kept a look-out in case she was in one of his classes or if he might spot her in the halls, but still no luck.<p>

They were currently on break now and Blaise decided to put his search on hold as well for the time being, as he sat out in the sun that day in one of the courtyards inside the compound. Besides, what use would it be to keep searching, possibly find her, and not be able to get any straight answers because of the bookworm at her shoulder? No, it was better to wait for when he can get her alone, which could only be achieved after lunch.

He wasn't sure if his mind would let him.

His thoughts were a jumbled mess trying to figure out what it was he saw last night. Her eyes were incredibly unique, exotic, and foreign by all accountable means. He'd never seen anything like it, and he was sure no one else had either.

_Star-shaped pupils…_

No, he certainly would remember something like that. Could it be an enchantment, a spell that had gone wrong and affected her retinas, or maybe a bad accident caused by muggle means. But then again, perhaps not; after all she had a magical background, even if it didn't run pure.

But it wasn't based on her side of the family – he recalled there being something on a great aunt's side of the tree – so it was a definite she was a muggle and not a possible squib.

It may have been rather dark at night, and the halls were obscured in shadow, but Blaise knew he saw her eyes swirl. What puzzled him was that he felt a reaction stir within him too. He felt this strange, yet comforting warmth at his temples, but it felt deeper than that. The heat spread across his face and sunk behind his eyes that left a tingling sensation and tapped into his tear ducts as his eyes began to prick with the salt water. It startled him more when she gestured for him to look into the reflective sheen of her hairclip, and he saw his pupils dilated before they stretched sloppily from the center, like an ink splatter that took over his irises.

Not only that, but there was an attraction hidden beneath the surface that he couldn't explain. It happened when they first made eye contact in the Great Hall during the Sorting ceremony and she was introduced to the students. She was scanning the crowd and he noticed she held her gaze longer on Draco and himself, and there was recognition in her stare. It was there when she looked at Draco but it was somehow different when her eyes landed on him. With Malfoy, it was clear that she must have seen him recently and had acknowledged his presence in the room, but with Blaise her body had stiffened when she looked upon him. There wasn't only recognition in her eyes, but hope, shock, and what appeared to be longing.

Whatever the feeling was, it made harsh pulls on his heartstrings, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. He craved to understand this accustomed closeness to Karessa when he hadn't even seen her before then, and he hadn't even said one word to her in spoken conversation yet. All throughout dinner he felt Malfoy's stare upon him as well as hers and he wondered what business Draco had with her to be on the receiving end of such looks. He picked up curiosity, even after Blaise answered his question, but there was also a misplaced possessiveness in the built tension of his body. It gave Blaise a sense of protectiveness towards Daniels; because if Draco was truly interested in her, there was little chance she'd come out unscathed.

Now that set his senses on alarm.

She was a muggle girl in a world where magic was everything; the people's way of living. So many things could happen and there were a lot of people willing to take advantage of what she didn't know. Just looking at her you could tell she was an innocent through and through, and she wasn't even aware of some of the lecherous looks she'd received from their table alone.

She may be a muggle, but that is far-set from any hot-blooded male's mind if the girl was as supple looking as Daniels.

…_And ripe for the picking._ Blaise thought to himself.

He'll have to keep a closer eye on Theo's hands from now on.

His gaze narrowed. He didn't know her, and he didn't know what he thought of her, but he was going to at least shadow her time to time to make sure nothing happened during her stay. _Dumbledore was sure to appreciate that. _

He seemed just the guy to do it, if not Granger. The bell rang and he filed his thoughts away for another time as he dusted himself off and started for Potions with the Gryffindors.

* * *

><p>Walking into Herbology I instantly felt his eyes on me and all throughout class, but I didn't look back. At least not until the bell rang. I felt that it would always be a strange occurrence with him, ever since he discovered who I really was, and it's a shame that I may not be able to catch him off guard like I did back in the Owlry. Those silver eyes had warmed for the slightest of seconds, and I knew if it were any other circumstance he and I might have become friends when we met.<p>

The only problem was Draco was a pureblood, and I am a muggle.

Not only that but he's a _Malfoy_ – the purest of all purebloods – his parents would never accept such a friendship, nor acknowledge the possibilities. That was something I felt we had in common; both being bound by family names to uphold, never being able to do what you want without there being consequences, or knowing the difference between real friends and the posers who use you as a means to gain more status – such is the political world we live in.

_Draco can't even smile anymore without fearing it gets back to his parents._ I thought to myself. _I smile at him and he always seems so startled that I would direct something so harmless and friendly to him._ I frowned._ I wonder why that is. _

I was musing on ways to get under Draco's skin without pushing too many buttons; that could be dangerous given the fact that I don't know much about him except what Hermione told me. But that isn't much to go by since she has a negative relationship with him, and it's been stirring up bad blood between their friends as well for years. It's only a matter of time before the boat tips over, and I myself may not be able to do much while I'm here…but thinking about my own problems isn't going to get me anywhere with this one.

Before I left the classroom I gave Draco a smile that I hope would slowly disarm him over time, or at least encourage curiosity to try and reach out to me. The moment I looked in his eyes I knew he needed someone to talk to, someone who was going through the same thing he was, or at least had another opinion he can work with to sort through his thoughts. It was obvious to me during dinner last night when I saw two girls doting upon him that he was doing anything else to distract himself from whatever dark thoughts he was having. His attitude I noticed was uncaring but also arrogant with the way he treated the girls, and he distanced himself from his friends without it being detectable by them in case they were to ask questions.

I went to go sit up on a window ledge on the main floor seeing that I would have to make my way down to the dungeons soon for Potions with the Gryffindors. I told Hermione that she could go off with her friends if she liked since I could tell she felt guilty about leaving me on my own during class, but to be honest I'm quite fine on my own when I feel the need, so I sent her off and assured her I knew where I needed to be when break ended and she left half-heartedly with a final glance back.

I appreciated her attendance but I wanted to be left to my inner musings for the time-being since as soon as lunch came and went, Blaise would be an ever presence by my side, and he would be bursting by now with inquires about what happened last night; and I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell him just yet.

But I knew he'd be willing to take the test if I told him what I knew. That in itself gave me hope.

There were so many things my mind was currently concentrating on, and all needed to be executed before my time here was up, so I needed to prioritize what was to be done the quickest and probably most successful if I'm going to change the outcome of the foreseen war to come.

I just couldn't decide what was more important over the other.

Dealing with Blaise was of utmost urgency, and may be the easiest to accomplish but Draco's dark aura drew me in, and I wanted to pull him out from under. Both matters were of my personal feelings. Then there was trying to bring everyone into unity. There were prejudices and personal tensions all over the school that dividing the students by Houses seemed the safest way to keep student injuries at bay. Who knows what may have happened if you forced them to tolerate one another in a closer environment.

_What a mess that would be._ I thought._ But perhaps a nudge in the right direction could help; possibly through example._

Settling differences in hopes of coexisting is a matter of peace; something to affect what the battlefield will look like once the smoke has cleared.

_I can't make up my mind…_ I sigh. _Guess I'll have to improvise all this as I go along._

The bell rang and I picked myself up from the window's ledge and made my way down to the dungeons. I had been one of the few to get to class early, and Ms. Granger was there with two of her friends. Both were from her House, a rowdy redheaded boy and the young legend Harry Potter; rounded glasses and all. The Head Girl waved at me shortly and her companions just looked over at me curiously as I took a seat off to the side of the classroom at a desk sectioned in the middle of its row. Before I was settled a shadow fell across my desk as someone sat beside me, and sure enough I saw Blaise start to pull out his parchment and quill on his side of the tabletop.

I could feel his anxiousness in waves pouring out his body, and when he slanted a gaze at me I could see his first question forming on his lips before he even processed what he was going to ask me. Before he had the chance Professor Slughorn called to my attention as he stopped at my other side and formally introduced himself to me.

"Dear girl, I do believe we haven't been properly introduced." He said taking hold of my hand and shaking it rather rigorously. "Dumbledore has told me so much about you – "

"And I you, sir; Grandfather speaks highly of your craft in potion making." I smiled back at him.

"Oh, does he?" Slughorn smiled proudly yet shocked. I nodded assuredly.

"Yes, in fact, I looked forward to taking your class to see if I had a hand in brewing; it could always be helpful in times of need. It's also rather nice that you've come out of retirement and all, I was told it took Grandfather quite the time to convince you to teach again." I inquired.

"Yes, yes. I was wondering though, has my dear old friend Albus also told you about my little club I get together?" he asked me. I shrugged and he continued. "You see, I'm what some may call a collector of potentials with great futures ahead of them; the very talented, ambitious, and more so clever of my students are a part of it, and I would love to have you as a member." He said hopefully.

I smiled politely at him. "I'm flattered you'd consider me as such, Professor. I'd be honored to join your club."

He beamed at me. "Excellent! Slug Club will have its first meeting next Monday at 8:30 p.m." he looked over at Blaise. "I certainly hope to see you there as well, Mr. Zabini."

He nodded. "Of course, Professor."

Slughorn nodded and made his way to the front of the classroom. I put my hand up and grasped Blaise's shoulder before he could turn back to question me now that the teacher had left us to ourselves; silencing him for the time-being.

"Soon, Blaise." I whispered to him right before the late bell rang. "Now is not the time nor the place." And I gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before removing it.

To my relief that satiated him a little as his muscles relaxed some, but the question still burned in his eyes as class began. Speaking of eyes, I could feel a pair burning through my head, and I didn't need to turn in my seat to know who they belonged to. Today we had talked about the _Draught of Living Death_, a potion that put a person under a magically induced sleep, deep enough to feign death. The class had apparently made the concoction last year – which turned out horribly; Professor Snape failed the entire class, for each created something incredibly deadly if ever swallowed – and I heard a few groans and mutters around the room, but Slughorn paid no mind.

In fact, it seemed everyone was to get another chance to get extra credit by completing the potion, properly this time around; and to accompany the draught, we were to brew its healing companion, the _Wiggenweld Potion_ as well the next day. Not only that, but to motivate the students Slughorn decided he'd reward the two top students with the strongest potions, a vile of _Felix Felicis_ – the potion of luck. We were to do it alone, but we were instructed to change seats with a few of our classmates.

In other words, the Slytherins had to sit with the Gryffindors.

Blaise kindly stood up and switched places with the curly-haired Head Girl as he took a seat by Mr. Potter, and Hermione smiled at me as she took her temporary placement beside me.

"So, how was your break?" she asked me.

"Fine, thanks for asking." I said back.

"Alright everyone," Slughorn announced to the class, "now that you've acquainted yourselves with your temporary partner for the next two classes, why doesn't one of you go to the back and pick up a textbook for the each of you; and once that's been settled, the other may come to the front and pick up your ingredients noted on page 306, and bring back enough for you and your cohort."

As he said this the chalk began to write on the board on its own, mostly repeating what the professor had already stated, but also the homework for anyone who failed to complete the _Draught of Living Death_ incorrectly since this would be the students' second time making it. I took a look around the class and noted that I wouldn't be the only one performing the brewing of this potion for the first time. It appeared there were a lot more people in this class then there were, apparently last year, thus a shortage of the newer texts being pulled out. Hermione went to the back and picked us up some good looking textbooks and we opened the page to the ingredients list as well as the directions in how to prepare it.

After reading through the process carefully a few times, I stood up and made my way up to the front of the classroom, behind the teacher's desk to the stock shelves in the back and started selecting the ingredients we would need for the potion.

_Let's see. Wormwood, asphodel, moondew, sopophorous beans…what else again?_ I thought to myself as I gathered the necessary ingredients. _Oh, sloth brain, valerian roots…and…I'm forgetting something._

I bit my lip as I thought about the last ingredient, when someone dropped a jar of bat fungus not too far behind me. Turning quickly I noticed a tall boy with brown hair squatting down to clean up the mess he made, while a large plump boy from Slytherin taunted him for his klutzy behavior. He was snickering to one of his friends beside him, but the laugh was so thin it sounded more like the hissing of a snake.

_That hissing may have been why he was placed in Slytherin._ I thought bemused._ Wait a moment…hissing…a snake! _A light bulb went off in my head just then. _That's what I needed. Crushed snake fangs._

Doing a quick search on the shelves I found what I needed and went for an easy grab, but someone else had reached out the same time and snatched my hand instead. Looking up to the owner of the smooth pale hand in surprise, I saw two pools of cold grey-blue eyes looking down at me. As our eyes met his hand squeezed my own, still in his grasp while his other plucked the jar of fangs off the shelf gingerly, where he then switched his gaze to examine the prize at hand before drawing a lazy gaze back unto my person.

He placed the jar between our joined hands and pressed it against the cradle of my palm.

He gave me a cold look. "Best be careful, _muggle_. Though dead, a snake's bite can still be poisonous." He leaned in closer to my face and the pressure of his hold on my hand increased enough to almost break the bottle in our connected hands.

His look grew frigid as his lips pulled up in a sneer. I nearly shivered.

"_And there's enough snakes around you ready to kill within the first slightest movement you make."_

Then he shoved right past me to go back to his desk.

I wasn't going to lie to myself and say I saw that coming; I didn't. However I had a feeling Draco was trying to put on the impression that I should fear him, or that he was threatening my stay here in the castle. Probably another one of his defense mechanisms to try and shut me out based on our differences, since he's most likely picked up by now that I've been reaching out to him, no matter how subtle the ways may be.

_This might also be a show he's putting on for his housemates._ I picked up what I needed and made my way back to my desk._ It's expected of him, and he's staging an act of dominance as the supposed leader of their group._ I thought as I heard a few cheers from the Slytherins around the closing area.

If that were the case then I knew Draco wasn't threatening me; at least not whole-heartedly.

He was warning me of the others, and I couldn't help but smile secretly to myself about that. Working through my potion with Hermione I wondered how much of himself he's really showed to the world, only to mislead someone by his backhanded way of showing his true colors. Malfoy has probably spent a long lifetime perfecting his way of showing people he cares in a way that makes him appear arrogant or snide. All the same I appreciated his hidden concern, and his roundabout forewarning of my safety.

No matter how unnecessary it was.

* * *

><p>Potter won the first vile of <em>Felix Felicis <em>with a perfected version of everyone's _Draught_ _of_ _Living Death_, and with the use of a ratty looking copy of the textbook too. Zabini was a close runner-up along with Daniels, but Potter's concoction blew theirs out of the water. What was the difference between the two textbooks, since Blaise was beside Harry the entire class making the potion the same time he was. But Blaise was no sore loser, and he got the extra credit like the rest of the class.

Well, most of the class anyway. Unfortunately Ron had shared a table with Crabbe and they were apparently trying to copy off of one another – and let's say that when both potions boiled over it burnt a hole through the table and the fumes caused their hair to turn an electric purple - although they weren't the only ones who had it bad, since Pavarti Patil, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bulstrode were gossiping the whole way through, neither paid adamant attention to their cauldrons; and all four came out wrong. So they were the few who had to do the homework assignment to make up for the marks they couldn't get, due to failing the first and second time in completing the draught correctly.

So the next class they'd compete to win the last vile of luck with the healing potion, the _Winggenweld Potion_, which should take up the entire class and the next day they'd do a write up on both potions with their designated partner and co-examine the materials that clash against each other that counteract the effects of the draught with the antidote.

After that the bell rang for lunch and everyone made their way to the Great Hall to share a meal together. Karessa had held back as Blaise caught up to her and asked for her time schedule to see if they had any other classes together, or if he'd just be assisting her to class for the rest of the afternoon. He gave her schedule the same look as Granger did when he spotted the odd timetable, and she responded to him much the same way she did Granger; dodging the question.

They had Defense Against the Dark Arts together and he was taking the Astronomy class she was to be assisting in during her Free time every now and then before dinner would be served in the Great Hall. Their eyes connected and they both shared the same thought. They had some talking to do, and with all the open spots she had in the afternoon, gave her leeway to flex around the small time frames and work with what they had to speak in private. The agreement took no more than a millisecond in the silence of their minds, and as soon as they broke eye contact they too made their way to lunch.

As they made their way into the Hall Karessa spotted bright purple hair in the corner of her eye and upon turning she saw Ron Weasley sitting among his friends trying every spell he could imagine to reverse the color of his hair that clashed horribly with his skin and robes. Taking pity on him Daniels took a detour and made her way to the boy's side. He was surprised to see her there as she leaned down by his cheek and smiled at him.

"Here, I know just the thing that'll fix that up for you." She said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a handful of black sparkling powder, and leaned in close to the former redhead.

Ron blushed a bright pink and leaned away from her as his friends laughed around him at his disposition.

"No, no it's quite alright. I-I'm sure it'll clear up in a day or two." He babbled, but Karessa had already lifted the powder to her lips and blew it onto his face and hair in a cloud of smoke.

Within the next minute the purple locks slowly transferred back into a bright reddish-orange and the Gryffindors sat in awe. Ron patted his hair down to see if anything went amiss, then grabbed an empty plate and stared at his reflection. He looked positively dumfounded to see the red locks of his original hair color.

He gave Daniels a goofy grin. "Hey, thanks a lot there!" he said. She nodded her head.

"You're welcome. See you all in class." She stated to everyone before getting back up and leaving their table.

"Hey what if she put something else in that powder of hers?" a girl whispered.

"Yeah, she could have made it worse even though it seems fixed. Just wait and see and your hair will soon fall off, mate." Another boy said. Ron paled as he threaded his fingers through his hair and gave a hesitant yank to see if something fell out.

"You know how it is." Lavender Brown spoke. "Muggle or not, you can't trust a _Slytherin_."

Unfortunately Karessa heard that but merely sighed and paid no mind to the comment. She'll have to fix their way of thinking of one another a lot sooner than planned.

Sitting farther from the rest of their housemates, Karessa and Blaise sat across from one another as they ate in a comfortable silence, though the rest of their House was making a fuss about the Head Boy sitting with her they hardly batted an eyelash to what they were chattering about. The same two 1st year girls from their House walked up to Daniels and prattled on about being excited to take her defense program, and even got a few of their newly made friends to take an interest in joining the club.

"Just be sure to have them sign their names on this list, including the subject and the professor's names for the appropriate time slot of the meeting." She said handing the girls the list. "Bring it back to me when you're done, please." The girls giggled and ran off to find their friends.

As she watched them run off she noticed Draco make his way into a seat by Crabbe and Goyle, and in doing so he passed right behind her as they locked gazes a fourth time that day.

"You should be careful around him." She turned her head back to Blaise buttering a biscuit then taking a small bite as he looked at her. "Draco, that is." He swallowed his bite.

"Why's that?" she poured herself half a cup of pumpkin juice, dropped a pouch of pink powder in it and stirred it two times counter clockwise. Blaise watched her a moment as she just stared into the cup a little while then took a healthy sip.

"Because his family is a dangerous one – on both sides of his blood, they're known to despise muggles."

"Many pureblooded families still embedded in their roots are." She gave him a sideways glance. "The Zabini's are an old Italian family known for the purity of their Wizarding blood also." She was trying to prove a point.

He chuckled softly. "Well put. But all the same, I need answers from you." She bit into an egg tart on a platter nearby.

"Depends; you need merely to ask the right question."

"What happened last night?" he asked.

"That is something we cannot speak of here. Try again." She said quietly.

"Are you really a muggle?"

A smile. "Yes. I have no magic in my blood, but I will tell you that I am what some would call… _blessed_."

His brow scrunched in confusion as he leaned in closer in animation. "What entails one to be _blessed_?"

"That is an answer I can't give you…at least not yet." She sipped from her juice again.

"Yet?"

"Yet." She smiled. He sat back in his seat as he took in the curious stares around him before they went about their business again, though discreetly listened as best they could to what was going on between the Head Boy and the new girl.

"What is it that needs to be done before I can know?" he said as he surveyed the people around; especially a silver-blonde who was staring the two of them down.

"You need to be tested, of course."

Blaise snapped his gaze back onto her as she reached over and stole a grape off his plate.

* * *

><p><em>What the blazes have those two been bloody on about all afternoon?<em> I thought as I watched Blaise and Daniels cozy it up during DADA. Brushing a few blonde strands out of my eyes I narrowed a gaze at the two as they sat close together and off to the side of the class so as not to be easily noticed while they spoke in hushed whispers. I caught each of their gazes once or twice as we settled in our seats before Snape got here, and I had this strange feeling that they were talking about me, and that didn't sit well with me.

Now here we were off to the last class of the day, though I had a free period, and the two seemed attached at the head with how close they were to one another while they talked. I was beginning to have enough of this act since it honestly was starting to sicken me, so I hung back and followed them into the library where they quickly made their way to the _Restricted Section_ on the upper level of the library and disappeared near the back. Shadowing them I kept a reasonable distance until I found them searching the shelves for something important, I should conquer, as they were performing the task rather rigorously. Blaise search the lower shelves while Daniels was up on a ladder searching the higher up ones, and it was only when she cried out that she found what they were looking for that he stopped searching, and asked for Zabini to steady her as she climbed slightly higher to snatch a book in the dark corner.

The little shit could probably see up her skirt as he stepped on the ladder as well and held her by the thighs as she stretched up to grasp a thick old book with a gold spine and black, smooth covering. I made the rash decision to interrupt at that moment, which I'm sure I'll look back at and wonder why I chose to interfere when I did.

"Well _what_ do we have _here_?" I spoke loudly with a smirk as I stood leaning on the shelf next to the ladder.

"Shit!" Blaise yelled as he stumbled off of the ladder, which caused a chain of events to unfold just within fifteen seconds.

One, being that in his haste to catch himself from falling Blaise had reached up and grabbed the back of Daniels's thighs to help steady himself. Two, Daniels had caught hold of the book she wanted, and in doing so took both her hands off the ladder, which put her off balance as Blaise grabbed her. Then the third, she fell from the ladder.

To land right on top of me.

* * *

><p>It was a hard landing that had him react out of instinct and clasp his arms around her small waist as his hands curled under her shirt that slipped up a little, and his nails sunk shallowly into her dark skin, as he got the wind knocked out of him. They stayed like that for a moment before she braced her hands by his head and looked down at him, noses almost touching, and gave him a sheepish smile.<p>

"Sorry about that. Nice catch though." She leaned away from his face as she sat back on him – which unintentionally caused a stirring in his lower regions; though not surprising, all the more unwanted as he stared up at her.

"Though a little rough on the landing." Blaise said as he reached down to give her hand up. She laughed.

"Yes, I guess that too." She took his offered hand and he pulled her to her feet. Draco cleared his throat, and the two companions looked down at him.

"I could use a hand up as well." He frowned.

"We should just leave you there." Blaise narrowed his gaze. Karessa bent to pick up the book that fell behind them when they took that tumble. "If you hadn't been sneaking around following us as you obviously were, none of what just happened would have occurred."

Draco scowled as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Just shut up and help me to my bloody feet, Zabini."

Blaise smirked as he helped his friend to an upright position. "Why exactly _were_ you following us, anyway? You fancy me or something, Draco? We haven't gotten too jealous now, have we?""

Draco snorted. "It's amazing how you'll go to such lengths to try and get my attention, Blaise m'boy." He shook his head in mock displeasure. "Using a muggle to make me jealous; you've certainly gotten desperate these days."

The two boys shared a chuckle as their third companion shook her head at their acts and made her way around them as she stuck the large book into her bag. Weaving her way through the shelves to the exit without either boy regarding her departure, she almost made it out unnoticed before Blaise caught her form just as she made it out into the hall and quickly followed after her, Malfoy in pursuit.

"Do either of you even have permission to be in the Restricted Section?" Malfoy asked. "And what exactly did you need that was so important?"

Karessa looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

His eyes narrowed. "I mean, you were in quite the rush to get to the library, all for that large book you've stashed away in that bag of yours. Not to mention you didn't even check it out at the front desk." He glared at her bag. "So what is it?"

She shrugged. "Some light reading is all, and I have the permission of the Headmaster to pick up any book I need from the Restricted Section without check it out at the desk."

"Bullocks!" he said and stopped the two of them in the hall as he snatched Karessa's bag and took the book out. The cover read _Eternals of the Forgotten; The Dark Light_. What the bloody hell was this?

"It is merely a special book to me since it holds some sentimental value from my past." She said and reached her hand out to receive the book. "Nothing more, Draco."

He glared between the book and her a few times before handing it over to her awaiting hand. "So be it then."

She was about to pull her hand back with the book when he snatched her wrist. Blaise tensed beside her, she looked up at the blonde's face set with a dark gaze.

"I don't know what you're purpose is here, I don't know what you're doing; but keep me out of it." He hissed at her. Throwing her hand away like it was pure filth. "Or I'll deal with you personally myself."

"Understood, Draco." She smiled. He tensed as he turned away from her and started down the hall.

"That's Malfoy to you." He said and disappeared down the hall.

There was a small silence then.

"I told you to be careful around him." Blaise sighed.

"Yes, but this is something I have to do, not only for him, but for myself as well." She said turning to walk down the opposite direction Malfoy departed, Blaise trailing after her. "If I can accomplish something here, or at least within him, there's hope that this war will make a turn for the better when all's said and done."

"But there's only so much you could do alone. You can't put that kind of pressure on yourself like that." He said looking down at her. She nodded her head lowly.

"Can the same not be said about a certain young boy, who's been brought into this world, only to be weighed down by the fate of the Wizarding society should he not be the victor against a psycho maniac who's tried to kill him since birth?" Blaise lowered his head as he got a far-off look in his eyes.

He nodded. "Point well taken."

Karessa sighed as she directed Blaise up the flight of stairs towards her bedchamber. "We've got other things to concern ourselves with for the time-being. I certainly hope you are ready for this Blaise." She stared up at him. "If you pass the tests hidden within these pages, it may change everything you know as being a Zabini, an average pureblooded wizard, or even how you once defined yourself." She thought she saw hesitation in his hazel-colored orbs.

"There is _no_ turning back once we've started the process. I _need_ your consent to continue." She said heatedly. Blaise stood before her, shoulders broad and posture straight.

"Just make sure you see me through to the end." He smirked. She smiled toothily at him as her door opened for them.

* * *

><p>Ron was tugging on his hair again to see if anything fell loose from the action when Hermione slapped his hands back down to the table.<p>

"Oh, Ronald, stop that! She didn't add any hair removing potion to your hair." She screeched at him irritably.

"But 'Mione you don't know that." He responded. "Know one knows what's in that powder she blew on me. All we can make out is it changed my hair back, but anything could have been used as an aftereffect."

"Ron believe me, there is nothing out of the ordinary with your hair since Daniels gave you an antidote. You've been checking every few minutes if anything changes and _zilch_ has happened." She said.

It was true. Ron had become so paranoid about it since lunch ended, and there wasn't anything anyone could tell him to believe after someone put it in his head that the antidote placed upon him would have side effects. All throughout the rest of the day and in between classes he was plucking at his head to make sure clumps of hair didn't fall out; he even went to Madame Pomfrey and asked for a thorough check on his head for any oddities, and still nada. It had driven most of his friends crazy.

"Speaking of which," Pavarti started, "…does anybody know _anything_ about this girl? You know, besides her blood?" she asked. Everyone stopped to think on all the rumors they've heard.

Harry was the first to speak up. "Well it's only her first day here. She hasn't had the chance to really talk to anyone yet; especially with the House she was placed in." Some people agreed with him, nodding sympathetically about the cruelty of her placement.

Lavender scoffed. "Oh _please_." She said. "It doesn't seem odd to you that she just came up all of a sudden out of the blue, and happens to be as close to Dumbledore as she is?"

At this point they were all heading to their common room, since dinner had been declared finished and the food and silverware had been cleared from the tables. hey were of the few to be walking the halls at a leisurely pace as less and less people passed by them unnoticed; leaving the group to converse freely without interruption.

Harry looked at Lavender. "Well, he did say that he was close friends with her family. Why would it seem so odd that she's visiting the school?"

"Because she's muggle." Seamus said. "What reason would a muggle even need to know about magic if they can't use it?"

"But she's only here to learn, to be educated in the ways like her great, great - or- something aunt, I think." Hermione spoke up. "Besides, I've seen her schedule; she's got all courses that don't involve the use of a wand at all. So what's the harm?"

"The harm is she's probably here for something other than learning about our world." Ginny said surprisingly. "That has to be it, and Dumbledore's allowing her to pursue whatever it is."

"You may be right, Gin." Ron said still inspecting his hair.

"I agree with Ron." Neville broke in quietly. "I was in the library earlier this afternoon looking for a book on exotic herbs with Dean when I saw her leaving the _Restricted Section_, a book in hand, and she didn't even check it out with Ms. Pince." Dean nodded in confirmation.

Everyone started mumbling about this new discovery quietly as they stopped their trek to their dorm and stood off to the side in the empty hallway. Lavender spoke above the rest to get everyone's attention on her.

"If you ask me –"

"But no one did." Hermione and Lavender glared at one another.

"We should cozy up to her to figure out what she's hiding." Lavender continued as she looked around her peers, and some silently agreed with her.

"No chance! I ain't getting all roses and bunnies with a Slytherin." Ron exclaimed loudly, and his friends hushed him hurriedly.

"And we aren't too fond of you either, _Gryffindor_." The tall figure of Draco Malfoy appeared out of the shadows, along with the purple-haired Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent, Pansy, Theo and the Greengrass sisters.

"What's a matter, Weasley? Thought you fancied me for a while, the way you talk of me and such," Malfoy placed his hand over his heart, expression changed into mock hurt, "and I thought we had something strong between us." The Slytherins laughed.

"What the bloody hell are you snakes doing 'round here?" Ron sneered. "Sneaking in dark corners again are we?"

"We don't sneak. We silently observe, for your information, Fire-crotch." Pug-face Parkinson sneered back. Theo snorted, and ashamedly Dean, though he hid it well.

Ron glared at him all the same before turning back to the cluster of serpents before them.

"All the same, Pansy," Malfoy smirked to stifle his amusement. "I'm sure we've had enough foreplay for this evening, it's time we all got down to business."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "What business?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "The _muggle_, of course."

"What about her?" Granger asked.

"We all figured you Gryffindors would know; mudbloods and blood-traitors alike," Daphne began, "she'd probably seek friendship out of you lot first. But it's obvious now that you know as little as we do."

"Honestly, Mudblood." Pansy sneered. "You spent half the day with her and you still don't know anything about her. I'm disappointed." She then turned to Millicent with a staged whisper. "And they call her the brightest witch of our age."

They then laughed nastily to each other.

Hermione huffed. "Well for your information, I wasn't with her through all hours of the morning; and if you've forgotten, Zabini has spent just the same amount of time with Daniels, if not more than I have." She scowled at Pansy. "So why don't you ask him, Pug-nose?"

Pansy's face turned red in anger and was about to retort, but Nott beat her to the punch.

"Unfortunately, none of us have seen our good friend Blaise since our DADA class." He said. "He's been rather gentlemanly to our new housemate and has been whisking her away from the rest of us; as if he were her personal guard dog, or something." Theo shrugged his hands in his pockets.

"More like a mother hen defending her chick from the hungry wolves." Draco muttered. Theo raised his eyebrow at him. Draco lifted his gaze to their surrounding group. "Apparently, they've been sneaking around the _Restricted Section_ for a book called _Eternals of the Forgotten: The Dark Light_. But that was just after DADA, and if anyone noticed, neither of them showed for dinner." He said darkly.

Hermione paused in thought. "I know books from the library better than anyone else, but I've never heard of that book before."

"A strange book, with a mysterious purpose." Harry mused. "Dumbledore knows about this obviously, but what about Blaise. Do you think he's in the know too?"

The devil must have been listening, because before anyone could answer, Blaise appeared around the corner and walked right up to the large group.

"Say the devil's name, and the devil shall appear." Malfoy smirked.

"Where the bloody hell have you been, Zabini?"Theo asked.

Blaise shrugged. "Here and there." He replied nonchalantly. "I took Daniels for a tour of the school grounds before escorting her back to her room when dinner was underway. Then I was called into Dumbledore's office. What's going on here?"

"You're in luck, Blaise, m'boy." Draco started, circling a friendly arm around the dark boy's shoulders. "We happen to be having a friendly discussion about said muggle in question." He gave Blaise a pointed stare. "You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?"

Blaise snorted. "Not as far as any of the rumors have gone. We didn't talk much to one another for companionship sake, merely a tour guide to a tourist."

"Ah, you see?" Draco spread his arms out dramatically to everyone present. "Our own don't know any more than you do." He stated to the Gryffindors, though he was still staring at Blaise suspiciously. He dropped his arms to his sides. "I propose we host a little game." He said.

"A game?" Pavarti said as her fellow housemates muttered to one another. "Like what?"

"Like a guessing game." Malfoy replied, smirking at her and she blushed. "We don't know how long this girl will be here, and it's a mystery as to why she's taking classes with us, so I propose we find out what. We can even get the other Houses involved." He finished.

Ron snorted. "Well it's obvious that we would win. Why would she ever tell _you_ lot what she's doing here?"

"We're Slytherin." The quiet Astoria spoke up proudly. "We'll have her talking just by intimidation."

"Oh yeah, intimidation will do you a lot of good. A lot of good in having her keep her mouth closed and getting yourselves in trouble with the teachers, you know the rules." Pavarti said condescendingly as she rolled her eyes.

"Rules can be bent. You just need to know how to work around them." Daphne said snidely.

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you, you bunch of snakes." Ron exclaimed.

"Who better than a Slytherin; we have better access to her." Millicent spoke up. "After all, she's actually _in_ our House placement."

"But not your dormitories." Hermione said smugly. "She has her own quarters in guest housing, _and_ she's the closest to Dumbledore's office and sleeping quarters."

"Oh, you think you're so smart, Granger." Pansy sneered.

"Point is you all have a less chance in finding out this secret than we do." Dean said. "I'm willing to bet my new broom she'll tell us anything after you've harassed her into a nervous wreck."

"And I'll double that bet that under the housemates' code, she willingly talk to us. Daniels will be eating out of our palm once she receives invitation into the entire elite group of those with powerful connections." Theo said self-assuredly.

"Then that's what we'll do." Draco said confidently. Everyone looked at him expectantly. He leveled a stare with everyone there. "We'll make a school bet on it. Who can get the new girl to crack first, and it will be between the Houses for our final year; none of the teachers should know about this, or the younger students." He looked at Ginny. "Sorry Weaslette, not you either." She scoffed at him.

Everyone seemed keen to the idea except Hermione, Blaise and Harry.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Blaise said coldly, and it silenced everyone instantly.

"I agree. It doesn't seem right to mislead the girl like that; just to get information from her." Hermione said as she bit her lip unsurely. Though she said it, the whole idea sounded intriguing to her, and she was proud to know she felt guilty for thinking such a thing afterwards.

"I don't see how you all can take enjoyment in using someone for your own gain." Harry frowned at his friends. Many of them bowed their heads sheepishly to not meet his accusing eyes.

"Oh, save the Golden Hero crap for someone who cares, Potter." Parkinson spat. "No one's forcing you to participate in the festivities for our final year here."

"Besides, you can't possibly say that you aren't curious as to what she's hiding." Malfoy stated. He walked right up to Harry and stared him in the eye. "Even if you don't place a bet, you could still do what everybody else will, but with all good intentions." He leveled a stare at him. "As long as you don't ruin the fun for the rest of us who want to get something out of it, then there shouldn't be a problem."

He raised his hand to Potter. Harry looked down at the offered hand lost in a feeling of déjà vu, as he was a bit hesitant this time around; the situation reminded him much of their first year when Malfoy offered to show him the ropes. But this time he raised his hand and shook it.

"I won't say anything, but that doesn't mean I'll make it easy for anyone else either if given the opportunity." He directed his speech to everyone.

Draco smirked. "Not to worry, Potter. It'll make it all the more fun with you challenging us." He turned his gaze to Blaise. "I'm sure our Head Boy will do the same... but I'm not sure where our Head Girl quite stands in this." Everyone turned to Granger and she fidgeted under their heavy gazes.

Harry felt her hesitation. "Hermione?" after a short pause she sighed.

"I'll referee, so to speak." She said lowly. "There's going to be rules, and I'll hold all bets placed by people from each House." She said firmly.

"Excellent!" Malfoy mocked. "You see, Potter; a nice clean game where no one gets hurt."

"Except maybe Daniels." Harry's eyes narrowed. Malfoy shrugged.

"That's what you, Blaise and Granger are for." He said as he turned away and walked down the hall with his fellow housemates in the follow. "To make sure the opposing team receives their proper equipment."

You could hear the smirk in his voice as he and the other Slytherins departed around the hall.

Blaise was the only one who stayed behind, as did Harry and Hermione as their friends took off to think of what they'd bet, and their strategies in winning. Hermione said her goodnight to Harry as she stood by Blaise, planning on leaving to their rooms together. Blaise stood there staring at the ground as Hermione and Harry stared at him in curiosity.

Hermione tapped his shoulder and he looked up at her. "You already know, don't you Blaise?" she said quietly, as if the others were still there to hear them.

He stared at her for a second. "No. I don't." he said. Hermione looked disappointed as she connected gazes with Harry.

"But I will soon." They snapped their eyes back to him.

"Does it involve you?" Harry asked as he stepped closer to him.

Blaise smirked ruefully. "Wouldn't you like to know." Harry nodded and smiled slightly.

"I guess that's the best we'll get for now." He said as he looked at Hermione. Blaise laughed lightly.

But too soon his smile slowly left his face as he sighed tiredly, and he looked at the two Gryffindors.

"Guess we know what this means now, huh?" They both nodded silently, the same thought running through all their minds. Blaise took his leave and Hermione followed shortly behind him.

"_Game on_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I've added onto this chapter on 11/26/11. CHECK & MAKE SURE YOU HAVEN'T MISSED ANYTHING!**


	7. The Truth is Binding

**A/N:**** Finally got this! So sorry ppl, this might have been up probably by the end of December if I hadn't been planning me and my sister's birthday – and not to mention the holidays. *Phew!* Anyhow, hope everyone had a Happy Holiday and a Good New Years! **

**On With the Chapter!**

* * *

><p>The next day all of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's graduating class were in on the game, and went straight to the Head Girl to place their bets before entering the game field, with their unsuspecting opponent and oblivious pawns and players.<p>

In order to keep this all under wraps and off the radar, Granger spent the night before making up a list of rules that everyone participating had to follow so no one would get hurt or in trouble. They were pretty simple, and nothing too extreme; first off, Hermione would be the sole owner of the list of names to who would take part in the competition, where she wrote down their bets and the scheduled date in which they chose to claim victory. To anyone who failed to make their target date, Hermione would receive their betting fee before midnight that day; in which it would magically appear in the Room of Requirements as a holding vault where only she could access it. To notify a new arrival in the vault if it was transferred during the day, her Head Girl badge would vibrate once then release a warm feeling that she could notice even if she weren't to touch it.

Blaise and Harry were to act as the _'Goal Keepers'_, where they would thwart any attempts made against Karessa in gaining information. They were not to know the names of the players involved, in which case people who weren't obvious in participating had to act stealthily to avoid suspicion from the two boys. Once they've been caught, the boys will have an easier time in identifying players and performing their task as guardians better.

Players will also not be permitted to know who else is playing, or when another player's due date comes up in the case of prevention of opposing people. A participant may choose to receive assistance from the younger years so long as they are unaware of the part they play in meeting an end. However, if they are to be told they must take a _Vow of Silence_, performed by Hermione herself so that they don't tell anyone else. Players can work alone or up to four other known participants, in which they must state that they are working as a team; anyone who puts down that they are working alone and tag-teams with another group or single player will be disqualified from the game.

Other things that would earn anyone disqualification would be the use of abuse to the target or the Goal Keepers, harmful products, or endangerment caused by a spell. To anyone who has been disqualified, they are then forced to take a _Vow of Silence_ as well to ensure they won't ruin the game due to being a poor sport about losing.

With the rules in check, the game began.

It had actually taken a lot longer than expected for someone to make the first move, and everyone was anticipating who would be the first to set the playing field. Karessa would enter the Great Hall or attend her classes with Blaise at her side constantly, unless he had his own classes to attend to, and no one had made a move yet. Most surprising was on the Thursday of the first week of the start of school was when Karessa entered the Great Hall alone that morning and again in the afternoon because Blaise had caught food poisoning the night before. Everyone had thought it was the beginning of someone's first attempt to get to Daniels, and was anxious to see what would happen; but no one made a pass at her, and by dinner that evening Blaise was back at her side keeping a wary eye on his clam chowder.

If anything else it was frustrating just waiting around.

The only person who didn't seem to worry much was Hermione, being that she had a better idea than most who would be the first to put the game in play, but surprisingly Draco as well was confident in his placed bet. Hermione had received his bet in a heaping sum of eighty thousand galleons – the highest wager of over fifteen hundred students participating in the graduating class. He also happened to pick a much later date in the game than most. Many people were confident enough to place their dates in the first or second month of school, but Malfoy's was the only bet in place that had the scheduled month all to itself. Granger couldn't decide whether he was just that cocky that no one would win before him, or just brilliant enough to be patient and let time do all the work for him. Either way, Hermione was most looking forward to seeing what he had planned.

The first official attempt came on the Saturday; breakfast had been going on for a while, when the owls had arrived with the students' mail, though none came to Daniels, and she paid little mind to the birds as she continued on with her breakfast. That day she was wearing her hair in a long braid down her back with one long bang out, a loose peacock blue and long-sleeved sweater jacket, opened to see a forest green and gold top underneath, and to tie the outfit off was her traditional Slytherin hairpin, muggle jeans and black leather ankle boots. Little by little the owls descended and dropped newspapers, letters, and packages to individuals before flying up and out of the area, when suddenly a black hawk with white-flecked feathers zoomed over everyone's heads and landed gracefully on Karessa's outstretched arm.

It had a dark blue envelope with a silver seal and a cursive scrawl on its flat surface.

Many waited in anticipation as she took the letter gingerly from the bird's leg and rewarded it with a nibble of her bacon before stroking its head fondly. She didn't once glance at the blue paper as she placed it in her bag before flicking her arm up to have the hawk take flight again. It hovered about her face as it moved closer to nuzzle the bridge of her nose while her laughter rang loud in the quiet room. In a flash of black and white the creature was gone.

It was after she went back to her meal that everyone started their own conversations back up again, and the first to walk up and talk to Karessa were her number one fans, Kaity and Natalie – the two Slytherin 1st years that took to idolizing her. They sat on either side of her as she placed her half empty cup of juice to the side and picked up another to pour from the pitcher.

"Morning, Karessa!" the two girls said in union.

"Good morning to you too, girls." She said smiling.

She looked upon both girls smiling back at her. They were so young and full of life; Kaity had straight blonde hair and brown eyes, and she always wore a pretty blue ribbon headband, no matter if what she wore that day didn't match, especially since she wore green and silver most days. She was very social, and quite keen on all the recent gossip within the school; her mouth worked a mile per second and she could tell you a week's review in perfect detail within 5 minutes under one breath. On many occasions Karessa's had to remind her to take a breath once Kaity's face started changing color before continuing what she'd have to tell her. Although talkative, there was a time where her first impression would make her appear very shy when she meets new people; it was quite the boggle how quiet she could be when talking to someone she'd never seen before, but as time went on and she'd become more comfortable with the person she'd revert back to her exuberant self again. Her best friend Natalie on the other hand was a small wonder of power and cunning knowledge.

A cute petite girl with bouncy black curls and sea-green eyes, Natalie was shorter than most of the girls in her year but she had the fighting spirit of someone three times her size. She felt she had to prove her sturdiness in some cases since people would often try and take advantage of her for her small stature; it also didn't help that she still retained most of her baby fat within her face and it gave her a softer and younger look, much like a cherub. It made her all the more adorable with the dimples in her cheeks, but the only time she liked that feature was when she used the child-like charm to get what she wanted; she was sneaky and deceiving, like a true Slytherin should be. She had naturally tanned skin and a small accent that could be of Spanish decent, and she was just as chatty as Kaity, although she spoke in degrees far more understandable than Kaity's rapid fire speech.

One was never seen without the other being too far behind and their families had known one another since their time in school, although neither of their parents went to Hogwarts. Out of all the other private schools, their parents thought it best to keep the two girls at Hogwarts where they had a more likely chance of rubbing elbows, and becoming well acquainted with the children of highly respected purebloods in the London, England society.

…of course they never imagined that the first friend they'd meet at the school would be a _muggle_.

_Preposterous_. Karessa smiled to herself.

"So what brings you lovely girls here before me this morning?" the two friends giggled.

"We were just wondering what you got in the mail today." Natalie spoke first.

"Yeah, did you get anything interesting?" Kaity added, but before Karessa could respond Kaity continued, "That was a beautiful bird you had, but why not an owl? Was it a different breed of hawk? They don't often come in a bold color like that, was the message important? Did you read it yet? It must be incredibly secret if it's been sent by such a fast bird – hawks are often used by warriors to send safe messages to their comrades – is someone in need of help? Do you ne – "

Thankfully Natalie got up and clamped a hand over Kaity's mouth.

Natalie laughed awkwardly. "What she means is: cool bird, and can you tell us what it brought you?" Karessa smiled as she laughed lightly. That was another thing Natalie was good at; translating and paraphrasing Kaity's words.

"Thank you, Natalie." She smiled. "Also thank you too, Kaity; that bird is a rare breed of the hawk species. She was quite a find indeed." She said as she took a sip of her juice.

"Uffm?" Kaity's muffled voice said.

"Yeah, _she_? It's a female?" Natalie clarified.

"Yes, it was a female, as I have her brother as my companion up in the Owlry." Karessa explained.

"Is he black as well?"

"No. Actually he is her opposite, where his dominating color is white and has flecks of black instead."

"Cool! So what did she bring you?" Natalie leaned closer to Karessa and brought Kaity down with her.

"Oh, well – "

"Hmmff tuut tuu iieet eu teer?"

The other two looked at Kaity puzzled as she looked around the room. Karessa scrunched up her brow. "Pardon?" But Kaity hadn't heard her.

"Yeah, I didn't catch that either." Natalie shrugged. She shook the hand covering Kaity's mouth again to get her attention. "Say that again, Kat."

Karessa turned completely around in her seat to face the girl. "What was that sweetie?"

Kaity managed to pry Natalie's hand off her mouth. She took a quick breath before speaking. "I said: why is it so quiet in here?" the other two were silent as they processed this new information, and sure enough there was barely any noise, let alone any cutlery banging on plates. Conversation was dead all elsewhere and no one dared chew the food that was in their mouths.

Even the teachers were watching the three girls conversing.

Then suddenly everyone was startled by a loud sneeze from the teachers' table, so they all turned to see Dumbledore wiping his nose on a handkerchief.

"Pardon me everyone." He said raising a hand. "Please continue your meals, and I ask you not to worry about this old fool; it's nothing but a little too much pepper on my eggs." Some people laughed and little by little everyone went back to their meals and conversations a second time that morning.

Karessa looked up at Dumbledore puzzled as their eyes connected. He sat down his napkin and winked at her from his place. She giggled lightly and smiled back at him; she knew he faked that sneeze to pull the tension off of her. She looked back at her two little admirers.

"It was just a returning letter from the one I sent off a few days back to let a few friends back home know I've settled in okay here." She stated. "But of course, I had to leave out all the details of this being a school of magic."

"Ohhh, alright." Kaity smiled. "Would you like to hear what I got in the mail today?"

"Oh, well I – "

"I'm sure she would Kat, but we got to get started on that project we got in Transfiguration." Natalie droned as she pulled Kaity up from her seat. Kaity continued as she grabbed one last piece of toast before Natalie managed to drag her from the table and away from the muggle teen.

"I got some imported chocolates from Switzerland from my mum – she knows I love chocolate, it gives me this extra energy and I don't know what to do with it half the time – you should try some. A project? We don't have a project in Transfiguration, Nutty. Maybe you're talking about the 3rd years. That's what the professor told us in class the other day. Besides it's _Saturday_; no one does their homework on Saturday. Except for the Head Girl that is – that's why she's so smart, maybe. You think we should…?"

Before anyone could hear the exuberant blonde's thoughts finish, her dark haired friend pulled her out of the Great Hall and down one of the many hallways.

While all that happened Karessa had failed to notice Daphne make her way past her on the opposite side of the table and discretely drop a clear liquid into the pitcher of pumpkin juice, before she quickened her pace to sit next to Pansy and Millicent. Karessa turned back around in her seat and picked up another glass and poured herself a new cup of juice from the pitcher.

The three girls watching her held their breath.

Daniels had taken a healthy sip before taking out her silver-blue book and began writing in it as she consumed the rest of her breakfast in small, steady bites.

Grins slowly spread across the three girls faces.

* * *

><p><em>What are those three dolts grinning at?<em> I thought as I made my way down to breakfast no less than fifteen minutes before it would end.

I knew even without guessing that Pansy would participate in the bet against the muggle, and I also knew out of possibly over a thousand of the graduating students, that she and her crew would be the first to make an attempt on Daniels.

I snorted silently. _It's actually rather sad how I also know they were cocky enough to place their bet probably for the end of next week too. _I thought to myself.

I guess I'm no better than them though; after all I'm confident enough to place my bet the farthest away from the start date, and with a hefty sum at that. I wasn't being entirely smug about this – I had my reasons of course. The first being that I had a particular advantage, if only slight over everyone else since I met her before all others in a more private circumstance so I've gotten a better feel for her personality. Well besides the Head Girl and Boy, but luckily they aren't participating; only means less competition for me. Second, she seemed to be interested in me for some reason – though strangely not like most girls are.

Dare I say she wanted to get to _know_ me?

I shuttered.

What a thought. and it only seemed worse to think that I _needed _to get to know _her_ in order to win this bet.

I shuttered again in disgust. Though, if I was going to be honest with myself…it was refreshing to meet a girl like that – though I'd never admit that to anyone unless I was beyond the grave. Perhaps not even then.

… Well, except to maybe Blaise under different grounds.

_Speaking of which, where is that Italian devil this morning?_ I thought as I looked around only to see that the man in question wasn't at his post, beside the object of this game, obediently watching over her. _And whispering Merlin knows what to one other._ I frowned.

I stood, arms crossed over my chest by the front entrance leaning against the wall as I scrutinized the muggle. It seems Blaise won't make it in time for the ending of breakfast, wherever he may be at this time.

_Well now that the game has been set to play,_ I thought, as I pushed off the wall and made my way to an empty seat across from the victim of my enjoyment, _Might as well start setting my pieces on the board._

The first thing I did however when I sat down, was ignore her as I piled a small plate for myself. I felt her eyes shift towards me for a second before she continued writing in her small note book, but shortly after she marked her page then placed the book back into her black leather strap-on bag beside her.

After that I could see in the corner of my eye as I ate silently that she had grabbed a new plate and was piling more food on it. She looked at me again as she reached for a butternut muffin by my left hand, and I lifted my eyes to hers.

She smiled at me. "Good morning." She said, but I just looked at her and she went back to her task at filling the plate with more food.

I'll admit it sort of peeved me that she seemed so unaffected by my inattentiveness towards her greeting, and I was a bit confused why she was making another plate of food when she hadn't even finished her own right in front of her. She noticed my stare as she looked up at me again.

"Something you'd like to ask me, Draco?" I glared at her, but she seemed unaffected by that as well as she looked at me inquisitively. "What's wrong?"

"I had thought you were smart enough to remember that I had told you to refer to me by my surname." I spoke roughly. That actually got a startled reaction out of her.

"My apologies, _Malfoy_." She started quite serious, but it irked me that she was trying to hide a smile by her tone of voice. "I had forgotten my formalities since I don't often interact with you. But may I remind you of your breeding." She said switching her body into a more comfortable position. I narrowed my eyes at her. "In this case, when a person says 'good morning' to you, it is a courtesy to do the same no matter their rank in society."

My eyes narrowed further. How dare she remind _me_ of my _breeding_? If anything I should be the one reminding her of her blood heritage. I am being condescended by a muggle, how insulting. However, I held my tongue for the time being since the only reason I was even giving her the time of day was to use her to win a bet. So with that thought in mind I reined in my anger and hatred for the insolent girl and muttered a 'good morning' to her to which she smiled widely at me. _Cocky little chit._

…I would very much like to wipe that stupid smile off her face, and I could feel my mouth twitch down in a heavier frown.

"So what else was there that you wanted to ask me?" she had just finished spreading a toast with marmalade jelly that had also smoothed over her index finger. So to my misfortune she slid the digit between her lush lips and my mouth went dry. She only added to my agony when she popped that finger out and proceeded to do the action over after she dipped the finger back into the spilled jelly on the plate.

Thank Merlin I wore loose trousers today.

But I was getting distracted so I shook out of it and proceeded to answer her question; which ashamedly I had almost forgotten due to my musings. "Just wondering how it is you are packing another plate of food, but hadn't finished the one already placed before you." I said as she moved some baskets of bread and muffins off a tray to place her assorted food and unused cutlery on it.

"Oh, well the food isn't for me." She said, "I'm bringing this for Blaise."

I scrunched my brow. "I don't believe he'll have the stomach to eat all of that." I replied as I crunched some of my bacon.

She let out a short laugh. "Believe me; I'm sure he'll need the energy, especially since he may be sleeping until later this afternoon." She took another sip of her pumpkin juice.

I lifted a brow as I continued eating. "What do mean by that? He's never known to sleep that long before; I've always known him as an early riser sort."

"I am the same, but that could change given enough stress and exercise on the body. Blaise is better to take the time to rest, especially if he has no classes today." She said.

My other brow shot up to join the other. "Then where exactly was he to cause his body such stress?"

She had another sip of her juice before answering as she poured a glass to add to the tray. "He was with me." At that line I choked on my food and caught the attention of the others close enough to hear me, including Pansy and the other two who looked at me suspiciously.

Daniels leaned over worriedly to pat my back but I swatted her hand away and gestured to the pumpkin juice nearest to her, so she instead handed an empty glass and the pitcher to me and watched as I poured a full cup. Taking greedy gulps until I finished my first glass I then poured and downed another just to be sure. Breathing a sigh I thanked her grudgingly before looking around to glare at a few people staring when I noticed Pansy and the girls' faces.

They all wore a range of expressions from shocked to horrified as their faces were a ghostly white.

Scrunching my brow in curiosity I was about to call out to one of them when Daniels brought my attention back to her. "Are you alright?" she asked. I nodded.

She relaxed back in her seat after that. "What was so surprising about that admission?"

"Nothing, it was just the way you said it." I stated.

She laughed lightly. "Well that wasn't what I meant of course. Do you believe anyone else would have come to that conclusion as well?"

I shrugged. "Maybe not, but then again I'm not most people."

""No, I guess you're right about that."

I gave her tray of food a puzzled look. "But how are you going to get that to him if he's sleeping; you don't happen to have the Heads dorm pass, would you?"

"No," she began, "but I have mine, so I'd assume that'd be sufficient enough." She took another sip of her juice.

I continued to stare at her. _She seems chattier than usual…might as well try my luck in getting some answers. _I figured as long as I didn't have a relapse of my choking session that I could push this conversation in favor of my questioning. "How so?"

"Blaise stayed the night over in my dorm." She said airily. I froze, and at that moment she seemed to realize what she said and looked at me with a sheepish look as she blinked in astonishment before letting out a surprised laugh at her revelation. Then dawning clarity was shown in her eyes as she looked at me, but I ignored it as my body went stiff from my mood.

"How interesting." Was my icy reply, and she took in my expression.

"It wasn't like that, remember. We've already gone through this conclusion."

"Then why don't you explain it to me again."

"I'm having trouble understanding." She said as she looked at me puzzled. "Why does Blaise staying the night in my dorm bother you? You don't even like me, if any of our earlier encounters weren't something to go by."

"I never said I didn't." I said before it even registered in my brain. She looked taken back by this.

"Does that mean you weren't as clear with your disdain for my presence as I thought you were?" she tilted her head to the side.

_How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm not even sure why I said that. Damn, this isn't turning in my favor anymore. Something odd is going on with me. _I thought to myself as I sneered at her. I got up from my seat as I looked down at her from my nose, trying to salvage some of the pride I just lost.

"It means you can think whatever the hell you want about whether I care for your presence being here or not. It doesn't however change that you are an irritancy to my very thought process." Despite as hard as I tried to make that sound uncaring, it spoke a truth I wasn't yet ready to admit to myself until much later when I look back on this morning and really think about my actions.

She stared at me for a moment before standing up herself and brushing her muggle jeans off before picking up her tray of food with the ghost of a smile on her face. "Well whatever that means, I'm sure it isn't as bad as you make it out to sound."

"Don't bet on it." I growled.

"Don't worry, I won't." she gave me a secretive look. "And neither should you."

I deliberated what that could have meant as I watched her walk out of the Great Hall with her ponytail swishing from side to side. As I ran the words through my head repeatedly, I danced around the idea that she may be aware of the bet against her that the school has taken a part of, but squashed the thought as soon as it entered.

Then in the back of my mind I took note that she had taken Blaise's glass of pumpkin juice off the tray she carried off with her.

* * *

><p>Realization dawned on me as soon as I told Draco about Blaise spending the night, and again when Draco mistakenly told me what he thought of me. As I thought this I subconsciously went through the motions of gaining access to my dorm before setting the tray of food down on the glass table in the sitting room while I pulled my shoes off.<p>

_I really should have been more careful. _I thought, but then smiled. _Then again, at least I'd be able to get honest answers from Draco in exchange for my own._

I picked the tray back up and made my way to my room through the door on the left which lead me through the adjoined bathroom, and took a better look at the damage Blaise and I had created the night before when I walked into the bedroom. The room would be nearly in shambles, if it hadn't been for the enforcer charms I had Grandfather place all throughout my dorm and in the boarding of the floors and shields for the windows. Even in the dim light streaming into the room from the open doorway I could see the mess we caused.

If the bathroom hadn't had a second door that would lead out into the sitting room, it would have been a little hard getting in and out of my room this morning. My dresser had been up against the same wall as the door, but somehow it managed to slide forcefully in front of the door to the point where the only way of fitting through it would be if I were the size of a quill. All the drawers had flown open and spread some of my clothes around the floor, but at least the chaos didn't reach the bathroom or my walk-in closet to the right of the main door, closest to the windows. Also on the floor were many of my books and picture frames, but luckily no bits of glass, nor the bookcase had hit the floor.

I can't say the same for my writing desk though.

It had broken into three clean-cut sections of wood with burn marks all over it and the inkwell had shattered, spraying the left wall like a black-blooded massacre. It actually gave me the chills just looking at it, so I drew my attention away onto another part of the room. All four windows had the metal shields intact but bore multiple scratches and dents, so it was a good thing I took my good curtains down before they could get ruined by last night's events. Then, there was my canopy bed, with all four posters caved in and touching tips near the center of the bed with the curtains taken down for safety as well.

And in the middle of that bed was the snoozing form of my partner in crime.

His shirt was gone as he slept under a thin sheet, and he still had a sheen of sweat covering his body from the night before. I placed the tray at the end of my bed as I continued to study Blaise's form from where I stood by his side. I was under no illusion that he was not handsome; in fact it was hard to miss. He could draw a crowd with his slanted eyes a warm hazel color, though currently closed over with thick lashes to match his raven black hair, full lips hid a perfect white smile and cute dimples accented his strong jaw, and to top it off were finely tuned muscles wrapped under dark mocha colored skin. Blaise was the emblem of tall, dark, and handsome; and his Italian accent made him all the more exotic and beautiful.

If I really thought about it, Blaise was much the dark and beautiful as Draco was the light. In which case it would come as no surprise as to why they were friends, and most likely very competitive against one another as far as their looks were involved. It almost made me laugh. Under any other circumstances I may have tried to pursue a relationship with either of them, like I'm sure most other girls in their lives would. But I had more important things to think about besides what my life would be like if I was a normal teenage girl.

I sat on the bed next to his sleeping form softly as I looked down at him. I had placed him on the bed after his body gave out on him in exhaustion, but he had taken to sleeping near the right side of the mattress at the head of the bed, right arm hanging over the edge to the floor. With his tall frame he had taken most of the bed when I laid him down on one side so that I would sleep by the tail of the divan, but since leaving that morning to the Great Hall he had changed his position so that his body lay diagonally across the plain of the mattress.

His feet were to the left as was the rest of his lower body, but I sat comfortably near his head right by his dangling arm. I brushed my hand over his cheek to his forehead where I took the wet cloth off and placed it back in bowl of water down on the plush carpet surrounding the bed.

_Hmmm…well, at least his temperature has gone down to almost normal. _I thought to myself.

He didn't feel quite as hot as he did earlier that morning and he didn't look as restless as he did the night before, so I at least knew he relaxed enough to get some proper sleep while I got ready that morning and went down to breakfast. I stroked a hand through his slightly damp locks and combed my finger through his shortly cropped hair. It had been in long dreadlocks before I cut it the day before, but I think he likes the new look I gave him; it shows off his strong features better. Lost in thought, I was a second too late to notice my fussing woke him up, as he moaned slightly and stroked his fingers up my forearm that drew my attention as he held a loose grip on my wrist.

"Good morning." His voice was husky from sleep. I could tell his body was still quite exhausted from its overuse.

I laughed lightly. "Actually, it's good afternoon." He cracked an eye open to look at me.

"Well then good afternoon." Closing his eye again he clenched them both shut as he pushed his upper half up to lay on his left side and rubbed the hand that currently didn't have a hold on me, down his face before resting it over his eyes.

I took this chance to look at the newly acquired symbols tattooed onto his arms. His right arm was covered in a swirled design like Chinese clouds painted in black ink from the joint of his elbow, down to his hand, which had a hold on my wrist. The clouds intertwined with licks of fire that spread down to his second knuckle, showcasing the appearance of a fingerless glove, the end of the design ringing around each finger in multiple circles. His left arm on the other hand had been tattooed from the top of his shoulder to only his wrist. Though in much the same fashion, the design on this arm was different – whereas his right held the symbols of fire and air, his left held the symbols of water and earth.

His arm was in the perfect position over his eyes to see the true beauty of what was inked; there were the crashing waves that collided with the pact and sound structure of boulders – though shown in uneven plains – but there, standing curled upon the rocks was a magnificent Chinese dragon. Its head bowed down towards Blaise's wrist, tongue poking out by the water as if to taste the cool liquid and the tail curled up around his bicep. However, he had been given another tattoo, that rested upon the plate of his chest just over his heart and it was inscribed in my mother tongue. In cursive handwriting was the ancient spell and inscription; _Dessle Tuok Eterriall_.

Which translated was;_ Eternal's Blood Bind._

"What time is it?"

"Just a little past noon." I responded. He let out a silent curse.

He attempted to get out of bed but I pressed his body back into the sheets, and propped him up against the headboard. "I've already missed breakfast, and Quidditch practice this morning." He groaned before directing his gaze towards me. "You think you could grab me an apple from down in the kitchen?"

I shrugged. "No need." I displayed my tray of goodies to his hungry eyes. "I already picked up a bit of everything for you before they cleared the Great Hall." I placed the tray down on his lap and he instantly began to dig in. it was good to know he at least had enough energy for that.

"Thanks a lot." He said after consuming a quarter of his meal. "You've been quite generous with brining me food, and allowing me to sleep in your bed last night."

I raised a hand to stop him. "Don't think anything about it. I don't blame you for your exhaustion; the ritual was bound to take all your energy, especially since your body would naturally fight the changes happening to you." I shivered a little. "I can't imagine how much pain you were in when the process began…It worried me that it started out as slowly as it did – that doesn't happen when it's regularly performed."

"Well under the circumstances we can't rule out all the possibilities of the ritual turning in my favor." He said. "After all, when we looked at the pros and cons before we began we saw that there were more disadvantages on my end; that the likelihood of my survival depended on my physical stamina since my magic would never be able to take the strain of such old witchcraft."

He stared down at his arms. " I don't have the amount of _Old-blood_ needed to withstand the _Sages_ _Magic_, and without that it was always a plausible idea that my body would take all the work in trying to counteract the effects, thus leading to my heart giving out before the process would be complete."

He looked me straight in the eye. "There was a 70% chance that I wouldn't make it through the ritual, but I proceeded to go through with it anyway."

"But you could have died on my hands." I said heatedly as I clenched my fists in the sheets. He gripped my hand.

"But with your help and guidance; I didn't." he smiled at me and clenched his hands open and closed as he looked at them in wonder. "I may feel a little sore and groggy for the time being but I can feel the power coursing through my veins. I'm more alive than I've ever been in my life; like you've awoken a part of me that's been sleeping for so long until last night." He smiled widely at me. I smiled back.

"Well," I began, "_Sages Magic_ is said to be very powerful, or at least it's rumored to be as such in my homeland. The high priests and temple guardians believed that the blessed power came from the gods themselves; and their advocate was Merlin himself." I blew a loose hair out of my eye and pouted slightly. "It is a shame that the legend could never be proven."

Blaise laughed at me as he poured a generous amount of syrup over his pancakes. "A shame indeed." Then he forked a slice into his mouth. "Speaking of shame, though I'm not complaining, how come you didn't pour any pumpkin juice?"

I crossed my legs Indian style on the bed as I swiped a strawberry from his plate. "Oh, that was because it was spiked." He looked at me astounded.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Yeah." I said as I chewed the sweet fruit thoughtfully. "Laced with a heavy dose of _Veritaserum_." I tilted my head to the side a bit. "Now that I think about it, I wondered how it was that my drink was quite a bit more watery at the top before I reached the bottom of the cup."

"Hmmm, any ideas why that may be?" I had a feeling Blaise already knew the answer, but I wasn't going to push him on it for the time being. We had bigger things to worry about now that I had help.

"Maybe, but no matter since I have an antidote anyways." I said as I got off the bed and went towards my vanity to the right by the bathroom door. My vanity somehow escaped the disaster that was last night and luckily so since I had moved my perfume collection off of it to place the ingredients needed for the ritual. It was a mess all its own; with vials, muggle test tubes and IV needles, two small cauldrons, one medium sized cauldron, four mixing bowls, and situated on a small pedestal dead front and center of it all was the book in question needed to make all this possible.

The black scripture with the gold binding and frayed pages; _Eternals of the Forgotten; The Dark Light_. Only two copies ever existed, the English text I held before me, and the original written in my mother tongue.

"Do you think the test will hold?" Blaise asked from his place on the bed. "You said so yourself, that there were no guarantees that the magic would accept me as a master for long because of the questionable state of my blood. Does the book say anything else that could help prove my lineage better to ensure that it doesn't recede over time?"

I opened my bag that I placed on the chair in front of my vanity and pulled out a muggle licorice stick or two. Then I plucked the old book from its placement and walked back to the bed and sat it between me and Blaise as I bit into my treat. "I don't know. You've completed the three tests required to receive the _Heavenly Seal_, and the other two were also part of the _Eternals Blood Bind_, so I don't believe you have anything left to prove to any of my gods that you are worthy." I looked up at him. "Nor in how to prove that I was right in my assumptions of you – and I'll admit I had my doubts, but first and foremost I'm relieved you made it through the procedure." I smiled sheepishly.

"Well at least with the _Veritaserum_ in your system I know you're being honest with me." He said cheekily.

I laughed. "I wouldn't have lied about that anyway."

"But do you deny that you would have diverged from the question?"

I paused, almost reluctant to answer. "I guess you have a point there. But I still would have told you how I felt, especially with the **blood bind** in position."

"Then I'll admit…some of these rituals are quite out of date for their time – they're almost medieval." He said unwarily as he stroked a hand through his short hair. "I mean, I get that with the old practices wizards and witches could become much more powerful, but why is it that for many of these spells there has to be another party present to sacrifice a fourth portion of themselves as the whole is executed by the one receiving its end?" he placed his hand on my wrist again and raised the sleeve so that we could both see the lightly stained medical bandage wrapped around my upper arm.

I pulled his hand away gently and rolled my sleeve back down. "It is a matter of equivalence; if one were to perform many of these spells on their own, there would less survivors to write about such old magic." I began as I placed my hand on Blaise's left arm and traced out the dragon's eyes. "These are made to have more than one person present so that should the caster need assistance – or extra strength, they could call upon the life source of their companion to help see them through."

Blaise nodded as he listened attentively.

"Also if you hadn't realized that when we had began our research, that the majority of these spells would require live, and/or willing sacrifices; because the main ingredient to such great and old power is one's blood." I took the time to look at Blaise's face more carefully, and I could see the paleness of his skin, how it made him seem sickly.

_With good reason,_ my thoughts began; _we had to take almost three pints of blood to complete everything…and to think I only needed to give him a fourth of that._ I looked towards my vanity again and saw about a third of Blaise's blood within the contents placed atop the small space; and then somewhere between there and the ritual circle we drew on the floor by the windows, was the rest of him. I shuttered again._ God, he's stronger than I ever dreamed I could be._

"For this particular spell, it provided you with elemental magic, that very little take part in this new century," I looked at the page within the book we were currently on; the _Heavenly Seal_. "But in order to receive it you were to be tested both physically and mentally to prove your worthiness since your blood was questionable in placement of the _Old-bloods_. But…in this case it wasn't the only reason in which I drew my own blood to help you."

Blaise gave me a dubious look. "You told me before that your blood was very important, even as a muggle." He shifted his position. "Now that I've passed all the tests required of me, I recall you telling me that you'd be able to give me the information that I seek, if this all turned out the way we hoped."

I nodded. "Yes, and I have every intention of living up to my end of the bargain." I said. "As for my blood, well there are two reasons in which I wouldn't have told you from the beginning until my suspicions were proven true. If you weren't who I thought you were, there could have been terrible consequences for my misguided actions."

"What would that be?" he asked.

"Death." I simply stated. "For both you and me. In my position I'm not allowed to take such high risks…It's hard to trust people these day – in times of war." I said lowly.

Sensing the tense atmosphere Blaise attempted to divert our attention back to the subject at hand. "So about your blood…What are the two important factors that provided me with more strength in the ritual?"

"Well one, being that I have many ties to the oldest family lines in the ways of _Sages Magic_, and I myself am a master in the sort despite my muggle background." I began.

Blaise nodded as he took another bite of his food. "And the second reason?"

I shrugged as I nibbled on my licorice. "Because I'm a virgin." Blaise chocked, and I rushed to get him some water from the bathroom facet. After calming down he looked at me, his face I could tell had a slight flushed appearance either from embarrassment or the loss of air.

"I'm sorry, but how does that apply to all of this?"

I laughed and shook my head at him. "It is a well known fact that virgins' blood is very potent in power due to its purity, but why that is important in my case is because I was blessed by the priests and guardians of the high temple; but the reason behind that is a story for another time that I will tell." I told him quickly before he had the chance to ask. He settled back down and paid attention. "Besides those reasons, it was still required that I give you some of my blood in order for the bind to be sealed entirely with you."

I grabbed his arms and lifted them between us. "With the bind in place, not only will it give you more power from my being attached to you, but it will in time grow in strength as I teach you, and each time you use it. You needed to pass this test more than anything Blaise to prove that you weren't a threat to me or anyone else; because as you use the magic, little by little my knowledge – my peoples' _**secrets**_, will fill your mind; and you will see things that could change the future of both your world and mine."

I dropped his arms and he looked at me in awe. I smiled cheekily. "Plus, I won't have to spend so much time explaining everything to you as if you were a four year old." He snorted.

"Glad to know you're a very patient woman, oh, great teacher of mine." He rolled his eyes sarcastically at me, so I hit him with a pillow as we laughed at one another.

"Anyway," I started, "Was there something specific you wanted to talk about now that I know you're trustworthy?"

Blaise sobered up then. "Not much that I wouldn't already learn over time." He shrugged half-heartedly as he gave me a sheepish look. "You know, with the seal in place and all."

I looked at him curiously; it wasn't like Blaise to skirt around the point like he was now…

_He must be really nervous then…he's fidgeting much like when he was looking to talk to me the first time we met._ I thought. "But, there is _something_, isn't there?" I probed.

I could see the tension in his shoulders as he looked up at me. The determination and anxiety was heavyset, and I knew right then what it was he wanted to know. I couldn't stop the sad smile from spreading onto my lips.

He took in a long breath.

_He's been waiting a long time for this…_

"Who was my father?"

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><p><strong>Well there you have it! If you have any questions PLEASE don't hesitate to ask them, and REVIEW for me, they're what keeps me going!<strong>

**~ LoVeRsOfLiFe**


	8. Of Speculations and Allegations

**A/N:**** 04/27/12. Hope I got this up in good time – if not, sorry for the wait, still working on that. Problems with my computer. :S**

**Also a SPECIAL shout out to **_**xXMizz Alec VolturiXx.**_** You are my most LOYAL & TRUSTFUL reader and I absolutely adore you for it *mauh!***

**I dedicate this chapter length to you. Don't you EVER give up on me or my story!**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

><p>"Any ideas where Professor Slughorn went off to?" Blaise looked up at Karessa from his spot on the floor. "I mean, it was kind of a split decision, wasn't it? We just started school on Tuesday, and come Wednesday morning Dumbledore tells us Slughorn's gone on a trip to Peru to polish off some of his <em>personal research<em> of some sort."

He shrugged. "All I know is he's put our assignment on hold until he gets back." Blaise closed his eyes again and propped his hands behind him on the couch. "Some time by Monday afternoon, I'd think. He wouldn't want to miss his first Slug Club meeting, now would he?" Karessa giggled.

After Blaise's interrogation – and after a few heartfelt words and some shed tears from both parties – the two had went about distracting themselves for a while by putting Karessa's room back in order. When they finished, they moved into the sitting room and just relaxed a while as they dined on some snack food the house elves were kind enough to bring up. Karessa had stretched out across the couch with a book in hand, while Blaise decided to lounge on the floor with his back against the couch, and head rolled back to rest on the cushions near Karessa's waist.

"Well, all the same, I completed the _Wiggenweld_ potion since my classes will have switched the next week." She said as she flipped a page in her book. Blaise rolled his head to her with a look of shocked confusion.

"That's right." He said as the thought dawned on him. "I forgot your schedule changes each week." His brow scrunched up. "Why is that?"

"Because I need to learn as much as I can while I'm here, since my stay is only temporary, there's no guarantee I'll be here a full month, let alone a year." She looked at him. "I could leave as soon as next week if the situation called for it."

"Could you clarify why that is?" she closed her book and sighed.

"It isn't something I'm comfortable talking about in a place where the walls _do_ in fact have ears." She said warily as her eyes darted to the various wildlife paintings she had in the room.

Blaise understood what she meant just as soon as he looked at one of the nature paintings she had nailed atop the fireplace. Of course she wouldn't feel comfortable giving away such important information; in a place like Hogwarts, where all the paintings of people and animals are animate, can speak to both the people who walked by them, and other paintings around them.

Blaise and Karessa saw a young gentleman and an elderly lady walk by in the painting they were currently looking at, and they both smiled and waved to the two in the room before continuing their conversation, and moving out of the painted scene.

_Not to mention they can move from one painting to the next…_ Blaise thought frustratingly. It's amazing how witches and wizards could forget such a fact about the paintings and speak so freely as if they truly were alone, or not feel like they're being watched.

"I can see what you mean." Blaise said as he turned back to Daniels. "I forget such things since I've lived with it for some time now in my life; you get used to it that you don't recognize another party in the room when all you see is a painting on a wall. For that I apologize."

"Nothing to apologize for." She shrugged. "But, I'll clarify that the likelihood of my being here depends on safety; so sometimes it is better to continue moving than the possibility of being tracked."

As Blaise deliberated on that thought, Karessa stood from the couch and stretched out her limbs. "Where are you going?" he asked as she went to the portrait entrance and put back on her shoes, and grabbed her leather bag and writing book.

She looked back at him as she snapped her bag flap down. "I'm headed to the library to pick up a few books I put aside for the project we got in DADA, but I'm thinking of going to visit Madame Pomfrey first for some salve I've asked her to make to sooth the pain in your arms."

Blaise perked up a bit. "Would you like me to come with you?" though he asked, he was already moving his body up to go meet her at the door. He winched when one of his arms gave out and nearly had him fall back to the ground, but he managed to get himself standing before that happened.

Karessa rushed over to sit him down on the couch. "Oh, no you don't." she said sternly. "You've been watching me like a hawk and everyone around me for the past four days, and you are in no condition to do so today." She pressed his weakened body to lay down upon the cushions effortlessly and placed a blanket around his naked torso, as his pant-clad legs lounged across the couch's length.

She laughed at his affronted expression and ruffled his short hair. "I won't be gone long, and I'll bring us up some lunch while I'm at it, alright."

"But – "

"No buts." She said walking back to the door. "You still need to regain your strength, and give your body the chance to regenerate the blood you lost." She opened the door and looked back at him. "Just rest a little more; I'll be fine without your supervision for a while. Really, what could happen?" she smiled and winked as she walked out and the portrait closed behind her.

Blaise sighed to himself as he closed his eyes and let his head fall back into the cushion pillow. "What could happen?" he said out loud as he sighed again.

_She should never have said that._

* * *

><p>"Hey, look, it's the new girl." Seamus nodded over to someone behind Ron's head.<p>

Everyone at the table turned to look, and sure enough Karessa Daniels was standing up at the main desk speaking to Ms. Pinch. The three boys currently at the table were Ron, Seamus, and Dean, who had come down to the library in hopes of discovering a topic that interested them enough to work on their DADA assignments that Snape gave them in their first class of the year. Unfortunately, neither of the current boys had concentrated on the task at hand for very long before starting a conversation about the only sport that mattered to them; Quiddich.

In fact it wasn't even their idea to venture into the library that day; it had been Hermione and Harry's idea, the later somewhere within the various aisles looking for a topic of interest, while Hermione left only minutes before Karessa walked in.

"Blimey…" Dean said as a sly grin slipped onto his face. He looked at his companions as he leaned in closer as if to whisper a secret. "I'm sure glad she don't have to follow the rules about wearing our robes when we're out in the halls." He glanced back at her. "It'd be shame to hide her under all those layers."

The boys took a closer look at what the girl was wearing and laughed at one another. "Well why don't you go and tell her that, mate." Seamus grinned at his friend, and Dean shoved him in the arm.

"Yeah right, are you mad?" he said. "A girl like that's probably got herself a bloke already; I wouldn't be surprised if that's his promise ring around her neck." He gestured to the silver chain dangling by her collarbone with a white gold ring and a blue sapphire gem as its centerpiece.

"You must have been paying pretty close attention to her if you noticed something like that." Seamus teased.

"Oh, like you haven't noticed her." Dean rolled his eyes. "Come on, she's got eight-pointed stars for pupils. It'd be hard to miss her."

"Not denying it. But it seems to me like you've given up without a fight if you're interested in her." Seamus stated. "Afraid she'd say no?"

"Not in this lifetime." Dean frowned.

"Ah; it's the fact that she's too good for you. Then you're spot on if that's what you think." Seamus grinned wider at Dean's gaping expression. Ron snorted from his seat and Dean gave him a scathing look.

"I don't know why you're laughing none. She's most definitely too good for you." Ron's smile dropped into a frown.

"Doesn't matter since she's not really my type anyway." Dean smirked.

"Would your type happen to be wild brown hair, fierce tempers, and reads the dictionary as a pastime?" Ron's ears turned red in embarrassment as he looked away from the other two boys who were snickering to themselves.

"Ah, don't worry mate. We won't tell anyone." Dean said.

Seamus smiled. "That's because it's hard to tell someone when everyone already knows." Then the boys started cracking up again as Ron's face grew red.

Ron ignored the two as he looked around the library, and happened to look behind him. He scrunched his brow in confusion. "Oi, where'd she get off to, then?"

They all stopped to look around and couldn't see the muggle girl within their sight range. Seamus shrugged. "She may have made her way through the aisles, or she's already left without our notice."

"Hmm…damn." Ron started as he looked back at the other two boys. "I was thinking, since Hermione isn't around for the time being, maybe I should get a move on getting chummy with the girl and all." Ron flushed again in embarrassment once he realized what he said. "I-I mean, just as friends you know. I had a bet placed in just the other day. Did you guys take part?"

"You know we aren't supposed to say." Dean raised his eyebrow at him. "And you shouldn't have told us. How do you know if we were a part of the game and we decided we'd mess you up at every turn?"

"It would be well deserved on his part." Seamus added in. "It'd be his own fault for telling us."

Ron huffed. "I guess I should have thought about that…or looked at Hermione's rule list she sent out to everyone playing." He said sheepishly. The other two just shook their heads at his stupidity. "Oh, whatever. Let's head down to the Great Hall. I'm starved, and I'm sure Harry will be along shortly anyway, so we don't need to wait for him."

Seamus and Dean agreed and went on their way to lunch after setting their books back into their bags.

* * *

><p>Karessa decided the best course of action was to make her way down to the library first instead of the hospital wing to gather her books, then head to the Great Hall and grab some lunch before the food would be cleared. She had at least half an hour to do so, but she knew she could always go down to the kitchen and grab something from the house elves if she didn't make it to lunch in time, so she was in no rush. Then before she would return to her dorm, she would see Madame Pomfrey about the salve she asked about two days prior, and see if it was ready.<p>

_Blaise is going to need that salve to sooth the burning and repair the damaged skin._ She thought; _especially if he's up to learning how to use the elementals sooner than waiting for his body to be able to take the new strain._ She sighed.

"At least he's a good student." She said to herself as she walked through the halls, lost in thought.

"Who is?" she heard the light voice break through her concentration as she looked around to see that she had made it to the library, and there standing in the entranceway was the Head Girl.

Karessa smiled. "Oh, good afternoon, Hermione. Sorry, I was just thinking aloud."

"Oh!" Hermione said. "I see, so what brings you to the library today?" she asked.

"Just here to pick up some books for the DADA project we received earlier in the week. I'm sure you're the same." Daniels smiled as she eyed the large stack in Granger's hands.

"Ah hah, yeah." She laughed nervously. "I might have gone a little over with my topic, but I'm willing to give you a hand if you need help finding something to research on."

Karessa noticed Hermione's hand wobble a little with the stack of books. "No, no. I think it is you who needs the hand more than I do." She laughed. "No worries, I'll be fine on my own. You best be on your way before that pile falls, though." Hermione looked at her stack and laughed as well.

"I guess you're right, see you around then."

"Definitely." Karessa said before walking into the library. She went right up to the front desk where Ms. Pinch was stamping returned books with her wand. "Pardon me, Ms. Pinch?"

The older woman looked up from her task to acknowledge the young girl before her. "Yes dear, how can I help you?" she asked as she sat down her wand and crossed her hands in front of her on the desk.

"Well you see, I have a project in Defense Against the Dark Arts in the studies of dangerous creatures, and I was wondering what you would suggest I should use as a topic." Karessa asked politely.

Ms. Pinch smiled at her manners. "Well I don't know dear, that all depends on what you find interesting. But I could give you a list of good books to start from, if that will help." She looked through a file she had in a small cabinet behind her desk, and searched through files until she found the ones she wanted.

"Oh, that would be most helpful." Karessa smiled. The old witch began writing down on spare piece of parchment the names and aisle sections for each book she presumed were worth looking into, and hadn't been checked out yet.

She handed the list to the youthful female. "Now that's a few of the best books we have that aren't in the restricted section, and if you find anything of interest through them just run them by me and I'll get you the books you need if they aren't already on the shelves." Karessa took a look at the list then spotted the first aisle she'd need to be under.

She turned back to Ms. Pinch and smiled. "Thank you so much. I'll come and see you if I have any more questions." She started walking to her first destination.

"Anytime, my dear." Ms. Pinch smiled at the youth again as she disappeared behind a large shelf three rows down. She shook her head as she went back to stamping the returned books.

_Such a shame how kids in today's society can't remember such manners like that sweet girl._ The old woman thought to herself.

* * *

><p><em>Aisle 7, section 20.<em> This was the fifth and final book on my list, and looked to be the most promising; _Beasts Yet to Be Tamed: The Dangers of Creature Care – Volume 2. Let's see…_

I had found the other books with relative ease, and still had about fifteen minutes to make it down for lunch, so I was doing pretty well for time. I guess the best thing to do after is to check in with Madame Pomfrey…

_Section 3…16…19…Here we are, section 20_ I looked through the numerous titles on the spines of the books, hoping I'd find what I needed_…Ah! There it is._ Just when I was about to grab the book I wanted, I had a sudden déjà vu when someone snatched my hand where I held the book. The only difference, when I looked up I wasn't looking into cold silver-blue eyes; these were a bright _green_.

"Oh! Sorry about that." He let go of my hand. "I didn't realize you were reaching for that."

It was Harry Potter…

I smiled at his abashed expression. "It is quite alright, but I'm sorry, did you want it? I have enough books for now, and I could always come back and check it out when you're finished with it." I offered.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary." He said. "I have quite the large stack myself, you see." He gestured to the stack of books already in his hands. "So you can take it if you want."

I laughed. "It seems we're too polite for our own good." He laughed along with me.

"I suppose you're right." He smiled. He was about to say something else when all of a sudden there was a loud 'Watch out!' yelled from a little ways behind him, but before we could react a shelf latter – set to move on its own – came crashing past us, knocking Harry in the shoulder which caused him to then knock the both of us to the ground.

"Bugger!" he yelled as he fell over top of me, losing our books in the process.

A young boy, in possibly 1st or 2nd year, with blonde curls and big brown eyes ran up to us with a nervous look on his face. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, "I lost control of the latter, are you alright?"

"We'll be fine." I said as I tried to help Harry into a sitting position. "But go and stop that thing before it hurts somebody else, or worse." The boy nodded furiously as he quickly ran off down another aisle where paper was flying through the air, and someone screamed not too far away.

I looked over Harry who was rubbing his right shoulder. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. What about you? I fell on top of you pretty hard."

"A rough landing is nothing to fuss about, but I'm not so sure about you." I said worriedly as I lightly probed around his shoulder, only to see him wince. "I think I should take you to see Madame Pomfrey, you may have dislocated your shoulder."

As I said this I gently helped him up. He shook his head. "Really, it's no problem, and it doesn't hurt all that much. I'll be fine." I frowned at him as he tried to bend down and pick up a fallen book with his bad arm, and then tried to hide a small grunt of pain from me.

I sighed and crouched on the floor to look up at him with a stern look. He caught my eye and sheepishly looked away. "You don't need to try and convince me, I'm taking you to the Hospital wing, and it is no trouble since I'm already headed there after I've finished here." He looked ready to protest so I sealed the deal with my next sentence. "Besides, little injury or not, it's better to be checked out so you know whether it will affect your game play, when _Quiddich_ starts this year."

That shut him up real quick, and I couldn't help but smile.

He frowned a bit before closing his eyes and sighing. He looked at me. "Alright you have a point, so I'll go. But I'm telling you it isn't that big a deal, so can we at least stop and get lunch first before we head to the Hospital wing? I'm starving."

We both laughed. "Okay, I'll give you enough leeway for that; I'm hungry too." So with that we gathered all our books and made our way to the front desk to check them out. However I took a hold of Harry's as soon as I noticed him straining through his pain, though I must have embarrassed him some, since he was mumbling to himself about not being completely helpless.

I checked a nearby clock and upon glancing at the time I swiftly changed our direction from the Great Hall as people made their way out of the large double doors.

Harry gave me a confused look. "Where are we going, we just passed the Great Hall."

I walked down another corridor, Harry quick on my heels. "I know, but lunch had ended about ten minutes ago."

"Oh." He sounded perplexed. "So where are we going then?" I looked back at him and smiled.

"We're headed to the kitchen, of course."

* * *

><p>"Hey, wasn't that Harry just then?" Pavarti asked as she noticed the Boy Wonder walk past the open doorway only moments ago. She and Lavender had been chatting away to one another as they gathered their things to leave the Great Hall after lunch had already been cleared.<p>

"Forget that, had that been the Daniels girl _with_ him?" Lavender spewed, and the other occupants in the surrounding area turned towards the entranceway only to see the tail ends of two figures walking away from the door.

Pavarti gasped. "I think you might be right."

"Bloody hell!" Seamus blurted in. "When in Merlin's name did he get so chummy with her all of a sudden?"

Dean snorted. "Perhaps if someone hadn't been thinking about their stomachs so much, we also would have had the pleasure of meeting up with them both if we had stayed in the library." He deadpanned.

"Oh, come off it." Seamus grunted. "You could have stayed yourself but you didn't."

"Yeah!" Ron put in as he stuffed a final roll in his mouth.

"You shouldn't be so quick to have an input, Weasley." Dean laughed. "It was your idea to leave Potter behind in the first place so you could fill your bottomless pit you call a stomach." Ron blushed in both embarrassment and irritation as everyone made their way out the doors.

"Well that doesn't matter none now," he said after swallowing. "Not when we could simply ask Harry for any information he may have got from her while they are together." Ron finished with an affirmative nod of his head, as if what he said was of the utmost logic and sense.

Ginny gave him an irritated look. "You idiot," she muttered to him darkly. "Did you forget that Harry's _only_ getting closer to her because he's a '_goal keeper_'? Any info she provides him, he won't be telling it to _you_ since he knows you're in the game." Everyone winched at her cold voice. They all knew about Ginny's long time crush for Harry, and they had only just that past summer talked about getting together. Though Ginny had hoped they would start dating when they returned to school the following year, Harry thought it best with the impending war approaching that it would be safer on her part that they didn't, so no one would try and target the young girl to get to him when the final battle occurred.

Though she saw his point, it was still a sore spot for her.

Ron frowned at his sister. "You don't need to be so cold about it, Gin." This was the part where Ron would usually put his foot in his mouth… "I know you can get a little jealous when it comes to Harry, but –"

"_Jealous_!" Ginny sputtered before scoffing unconvincingly to their group of friends. "Hardly; I'm only saying that Harry probably wouldn't even be talking to her if it weren't for his _superhero complex_ to always come to someone's rescue." She crossed her arms over her chest and refused to look at her brother.

Hermione stepped in to try and settle the argument before it got any worse. "Well to be fair Gin, Harry's very close to Dumbledore, as is Karessa so if it wasn't because of this game they'd would probably have met through him some way or another eventually. But Ron is –"

"Now hold on a second there, 'Mione." Ron interrupted, stepping closer. "Why is it so hard to believe Harry wouldn't be the one to approach her first?"

Ginny's look grew darker and Hermione frowned at him. "What are you getting at _Ronald_?" Ginny steeped towards her oblivious brother. The rest of the gang knew this was going to turn ugly before Ron even opened his mouth.

"Well she seems nice – if not a little mysterious, which adds to her attraction." He began. Everyone backed away from the two redheads and the brunette coming between them.

"But besides that she's a lot easier on the eyes, even you'd have to agree. That is why I think you feel so threatened by them hanging out; you think the more time they spend together the less he'll think about you, Gin." Even Hermione had to give Ron credit for having such an intelligent thought. But as quickly as that thought came, it disappeared with the thought of how incredulous it was for him to be saying this so foolishly in the presence of his enraged sister.

_Hermione saw what would come next…_

"Besides that, I think he might already fancy her like some of these other blokes in school." He finished proud of himself for coming up with something so clever.

…_unfortunately she was too slow to react and prevent the next chain of reactions._

Ginny's face turned near a shade of purple from her anger, and before Ron could say _'What's wrong?'_ she whipped out her wand and sent a _bat bogey_ hex after him.

Screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs as he was attacked by his sister's spell, Ron ran out of the Great Hall begging for someone to help him. A few of his friends ran after him while Hermione stayed back with a fuming Ginny. As the head of Gryffindor house, McGonagall stood from her seat and walked over to the two girls in quick haste.

"Ginerva Weasley!" she spoke harshly to the girl. "I do not care whether he is your brother or not, it is still against school policy to set a spell against another student." She sighed heavily. "10 points from Gryffindor, and you will serve detention with me for the rest of today and tomorrow – no buts!" her voice held finality as Ginny tried to speak up, but quickly closed her mouth and nodded her head solemnly to the older witch.

The girls left the Great Hall to head to the Gryffindor dorm rooms so Ginny could bring something to keep her occupied while serving detention for the rest of the weekend.

* * *

><p>All of the Houses had watched the spectacle in mirth; especially the Slytherins. Pansy, Daphne and Millicent paid very close attention to the Gryffindors' conversation and smirked to one another at the opportunity to get an up on the game. The truth serum they spiked Daniels's drink with should last at least a few more hours before the effects wore off on their own, so they needed to find a way to confront her before time ran out.<p>

After eavesdropping on the ridiculous conversation of the Gryffindors, and the spectacle that was bound to happen given the Weaselette's temper and her brother's stupidity, the three girls left their table in search of Potter and Daniels in hopes to corner the girl when she was alone.

"So when we find her what should we do? Jump her and pull her into the nearest alcove or empty classroom?" Millicent asked her two friends.

"No, idiot," Pansy said. "She'll most likely be with Potter for a while. He's all part of making this game more fun, so we either have to find a way to distract him long enough to get what we want from the muggle, or when we find them – force them apart. " she said as she flicked her hair out of her eyes and smiled.

"Hmm…" Daphne frowned.

"What is it Daph?" Millicent asked. Daphne shook her head in disappointment and sighed dejectedly.

"It's nothing." She said, but to be honest she had hoped with all of Pansy's confidence that she had come up with a better plan of action than the two options she had presented. Although in truth she was a little ashamed to admit that deep down she knew Pansy wasn't all that capable of thinking outside the box…

She looked at their game leader who was staring at her from the corner of her narrowed eyes. _I mean come on, __**Veritaserum**__? How simpler could you get?_ Pansy huffed as she stopped walking abruptly and turned to face Daphne who stood to her left.

She crossed her arms and tapped a foot agitatedly. "Well obviously it's something, so spit it out. What about this plan bothers you?"

Daphne rolled her eyes at the brunette. "Well both plans have potential in succeeding, but you're forgetting that to Potter, three Slytherins coming at him and Daniels is odd enough as it is, especially since we were of the few most defiant about the muggle coming and polluting our learning space." She began. "So a distraction won't work in breaking them off, but possibly bring him closer to her; especially if our distraction were to potentially harm them."

Pansy's face began to fall as she realized the fault in her plan, but Daphne wasn't finished yet.

"Second, we could wait it out and see if he leaves her on his own accord, but in the worst case scenario he finds a way to escort her for the rest of the day and still manages to deliver her to her room safely. Meaning we wasted the whole day away for nothing." Daphne stated dejectedly.

Pansy glared at her for a long moment but sighed none the less. "You have a point there Daph," then she grinned. "That's why I had a plan B should either of those two options fail." She grimaced. "But it's going to mean becoming fr-_friends_ with her for it to work."

Daphne and Millicent gagged, while Pansy shivered in disgust. "However, that is going to be our _last_ possible option, so until then we might as well try this since I had you pour the whole batch of truth serum into that juice pitcher."

"You did _what_?" Millicent screeched out. "I made that dose myself you know, and it was supposed to last at least for a few months. Do you have any idea how hard it was to sneak the supplies out of Snape's cupboards?" the other two looked at her blankly. "NOT easy!"

Daphne gave her a daft look. "You're lucky to still be alive after doing something so stupid, Milli." She shook her head.

Pansy scoffed. "No one said you had to get it from Snape's collection. You could have taken supplies from the Potions classroom, or something."

Now Millicent gave her a daft look. "Well you wanted to be sure you'd have a very strong and potent dose when we laced Daniels' drink, so it only made sense to go for the best source available."

"Not at the expense of your enrolment remaining here at Hogwarts." Daphne hissed.

"Oh, _bollocks_ enough of this already, we're getting off-track now. Remind me what we were talking about again, someone." Pansy clicked her fingers together to gain her train of thought.

"We were on about how shitty this plan of yours was." Came Daphne's snide comment. Pansy rolled her eyes at her and continued walking down the path she had originally taken to find their prey.

"No matter what you think Daph, we'll just have to make do with what time we have now and hope for a stroke of luck. Now then, on to the kitchen!" she said cheerfully.

"There's only one other problem this time." Daphne said with a smirk. Pansy ignored her and kept walking but Millicent looked back at her with confusion.

"And what's that?"

She smiled and looked to Pansy walking ahead. "None of us even know where the kitchen entrance is."

They all stopped again as silence penetrated the still air of the hallway they were in.

"_Bullocks_!"

* * *

><p>"Achoo! "<p>

"Bless you." Harry said. "Are you catching a cold or something?"

"Oh no, I'm fine, but thanks for your concern." Karessa laughed a bit. "However, I do believe that someone is talking about us. Do you feel that way too?"

Harry nodded as he looked around them. They had stopped walking once Karessa led them to a painting of fruit on the first floor, and were currently standing in the hall with very few people close by, but Harry was still on guard for anyone who might appear from the shadows. Karessa nudged him in his uninjured shoulder and he looked at her suddenly; she seemed concerned.

"Is something the matter? You got really quiet just then." She inquired.

Harry smiled slightly. "Oh, sorry 'bout that." He said sheepishly. "I guess I zoned out for a second, but to answer your question from before, yes I do feel we're being talked about. But I'm kind of used to it so I can't say it bothers me too much."

"I guess you're right." She said before turning to the large portrait to the kitchens. "Well this is it right here. Shall we go inside?"

"Do you know how to get inside?" she gave Harry a secretive smile.

"Of course I do." With that said, she stepped up to the painting and tickled the pear which wriggled away from her touch to produce a doorknob which she grabbed and turned to push open into the kitchen filled with working house elves. Harry entered in behind her and caught the elves' attention as soon as the portrait door slammed shut.

Multiple elves rushed up to the two to ask if they wanted something to eat and upon their affirmation the elves became excited and asked what they felt like eating.

"Surprise us." Karessa said. "But please keep it small. We wouldn't want to disturb you all from cooking tonight's dinner." The elves agreed and immediately went to make a quick and healthy lunch for the two teens.

The elves had made it simple enough as Karessa checked over Harry's shoulder while they waited, and were pleased to see four turkey BLTs cut in halves, with cranberry juice, a fruit salad, and six double fudge brownies for dessert. Showing the elves their appreciation they started eating their food while they thumbed through the books they got from the library, tossing around a few ideas for one another's projects as they enjoyed each other's company.

Harry managed to consume two halves for a whole sandwich and one brownie while he sipped diligently on his cranberry juice as he watched Karessa. She had eaten only one half of a sandwich leaving five on the plate, and picked a few pieces of the fruit salad, and was in the process of eating her first brownie, but had switched to eating what appeared to be a red, muggle candy licorice stick. As he watched her in curiosity she looked up at him as he mused in his thoughts.

She smiled at him. "Something wrong, Mr. Potter?"

He took another sip of his juice as he shook his head. "No, I was just wondering; I've noticed before – and correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't seem to eat very much."

Now this fact that Harry picked up about her was true; he'd watched her during her meals even before the game commenced and took note about how little she'd consume compared to what she may have originally put on her plate. True, between certain times the amount varied from a small amount to maybe something a little heavier, but relatively her range of consumption stayed the same.

She had the appetite of a small bird.

She looked down at her plate and shrugged at her half eaten brownie. "I don't know. I guess along the years I got used to eating very little to the point where I'd discover my limit very early upon my meal times; even when I really wanted something."

He looked at her strangely. "Is there a reason why you'd be used to eating so little?"

He had asked her as casually as he could so as not to sound like he was prying, but she knew he was as curious as the rest of the school about her background. She admired him for his subtlety and for that she gave him an enigmatic smile. "I am grateful that you would take into account that you could have offended me with that question – it's alright, I don't mind." She interrupted him before he could take back his statement.

He sighed in relief. "I can still be sorry for it though."

Karessa laughed. "I understand that many will be quite curious of me and as to why I am here, but for being discreet about asking me I thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So in turn, I will answer you as honestly as I am able."

Harry scrunched his brow. "As you are able?"

"Well there is a specific reason for my being here, but if you want an answer to that you'll have to have a very convincing talk with the Headmaster should you want an appropriate answer." She said turning towards him in her seat.

Harry pondered that answer for a moment before nodding his head in understanding. "Alright, I understand. So what about the answer to my first question? How do you sustain on such little to eat?"

"Hmm, how can I explain this to you?" she pondered as she tapped the table with her fingers. "Well I guess the best way to describe my small appetite would be due to my travels."

"Travels?"

"Yup, that about sums it up, I think." She answered. "I don't often stay in one place for very long you see, so my body's always moving and adapting to change so naturally my diet changed along with it; and that is why I don't eat much."

Harry shook his head in wonderment as he took in the information.

"But besides that, I'm not eating much because I plan to take most of this food back up to my room for Blaise."

"Oh," Harry said surprised. "Any particular reason?"

She nodded. "He hasn't been feeling well since last night when he came to check on me after completing his rounds for the night. I had him stay in my dorm since he looked a little uncertain on his feet, but he still looked worse for wear when I checked on him this morning." She shook her head in worry.

"Well Blaise is a strong character; he'll bounce back shortly, I'm sure. So I wouldn't worry too badly about him." Harry patted her on the shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

She returned it. "Thanks. I'm sure you're right about that."

"So you two have gotten pretty close over these last few days, huh?"

Karessa shrugged as she gathered the extra food and her books. "I guess so; we've got a lot in common. Despite what most may believe about us, however, we're not a couple or anything of the sort."

"Oh, I didn't think anything of it, really." Harry relented. "But it wouldn't be a bad thing if you were. I mean, with the way you guys act so comfortably around one another it's no wonder people think you are together, or at the least some sort of long lost family member or something." Harry laughed out as he shrunk the food for Karessa and packed it safely into her bag for her as well as the books.

She laughed lightly, that secretive smile back in place. "Amazing what a few close gestures and light smiles shared could do to put false allegations into peoples' heads. How quick we can draw to the wrong conclusions."

Harry laughed. "I'll say."

* * *

><p>Immediately after, they made their way to the Hospital wing to see about Harry's shoulder, and for Karessa to get the salve she had asked Madame Pomfrey prepare for her. They were two halls away when their three little stalkers caught up with them; Pansy steering them in the wrong direction for the last forty minutes proved to be useful in finding their target by accident.<p>

"Your sense of direction is atrocious." Daphne deadpanned.

"Shut up, you bint! Like you could really do any better." Pansy screeched quietly as the three spied around the last corner that would turn down into the Hospital wing.

"I told you we should have at least stayed somewhere near the first to third floors – the kitchen would have made sense to be as close to the Great Hall as possible when food is to be served." She rolled her eyes at her daft friend. "I don't know where your bright idea, _that the kitchen must be higher up than that because the house-elves would expect us to look there first_, came from."

"Hey! Those devil creatures are crafty and sneaky." Pansy defended herself. "It only makes sense that they'd know we'd be looking for it, so why not put it somewhere we _won't_ look?"

"Like the dungeons?" Daphne said sarcastically.

"Hey there's a thought!" Millicent regarded. "We should try looking there later for a snack. Good idea Daphne." Daphne let out a frustrated huff as she slapped a hand over her eyes.

"And people say blondes are supposed to be the dumb ones." She said as she twisted a lock of her yellow hair.

"Oh, enough of that, you two," Pansy hissed. "We got work to do." Then just like that they stationed themselves around the Hospital wing entrance and waited for their window of opportunity.

* * *

><p>Madame Pomfrey had been sitting at her desk, filling out some papers for an order by owl for some more supplies after she checked her inventory, when she noticed Harry and Karessa walking towards her desk. Looking up from her work she smiled at the two youths as she stood from her chair and made her way around her desk to greet them.<p>

"Good afternoon, dears. How may I help you?" the matron said kindly.

"Good afternoon, Madame Pomfrey." Karessa said politely. "Actually, I've brought a small patient for you today –"

"Who you calling small?" Harry interrupted as he grinned as he pat her head. She swatted his hand away.

Karessa smiled cheekily. "There was a bit of a scene in the library, and Mr. Potter may have hurt himself while playing my hero in the crossfire." She looked at the amused older woman as Harry huffed indignantly.

Karessa just brushed him off. "He insists that he's fine, but I'd like to make sure. Do you think you could look him over to set my mind at ease – if you're not too busy that is?"

Pomfrey giggled lightly. "No, no, dear that's quite alright. It's been rather quiet today so I'd be happy to look over him for you." She guided them to an unused bed and pulled the curtains to one side to cover only half of the bed should Potter feel a little shy from watchers.

Harry sat on the bed as Karessa sat in a chair next to him. "Now what is it I'm examining?" Pomfrey asked.

"His right shoulder, and if it's not too much trouble, I was curious as to how his ribs were as well." Karessa responded.

Madame Pomfrey nodded. "Alright then, Mr. Potter, if you would lift your shirt up so I could take a look."

"Would you like me to leave?" Karessa began moving from her spot.

"No it's ok. Stay." Harry rushed out before she could stand, so she settled back down as Harry took his injured shoulder out of his shirt with Pomfrey's help. She had to admit the boy had a nice, lean physique.

"Alright let's take a look." The matron muttered as she took out her wand and examined Harry's shoulder. It was bruised to a swollen red around the edges, but became a bluish purple in the center of the muscle. As Pomfrey scanned her wand over the wound she slowly made her way down his side as her fingers also probed certain areas to judge Harry's soreness and pain levels. After completing her task she put her wand away and opened her mouth to speak – but was interrupted by Ron and friends rushing into the Hospital wing.

Well, Ron was actually being slightly dragged, slightly carried into the Hospital wing, and looking worse for wear.

"Forgive the disturbance, Madame." Neville began meekly. "But we're in need of your assistance."

"Yes, Ma'am." Dean jumped in as he hoisted the battered Weasley, none too gently, higher on his side to keep him from falling to the floor. "Weasley's ran into some trouble with a _real_ nasty hex from an ill-tempered student, so we nee –" Dean stopped when he caught sight of Madame Pomfrey's current patients.

He consequently dropped his side of holding up Ron as his eyes widened. "_**Harry**_? What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

Seamus had then lost his hold on Ron as well as his jaw dropped in shock, and the rest of the Gryffindors present lost their worry for their friend as their attention got grabbed by the new situation at hand.

"Language, Mr. Thomas." The old medi-witch said. "Now please come and help me move Mr. Weasley to the bed over." She looked back at Harry and Karessa and smiled apologetically. "Excuse me dears, this will take only a few moments." Then she turned to see the other children place Ron down on the bed next to Harry's.

Karessa sat down next to Harry on the opposite side of the bed to get a better look at the beaten down Weasley. She looked at him curiously as some of the boys' snuck glances in her and Harry's direction, before diverting it back to Madame Pomfrey ordering out to the lot of them.

She blinked at the scene before her. "Any ideas on what happened to him?" she addressed Harry but didn't take her eyes off Ron.

"If I had to guess, I'd say from experience that Ron and Ginny got at each other again," he stated as she looked back at him. He grinned slightly. "And Ginny won the argument."

"Is Ginny his girlfriend?" Harry snorted.

"His sister."

"Ah, well that kind of sucks then." She laughed lightly.

"Let me be more specific; his _little_ sister. The only girl out of seven children, and she happens to be the youngest of them all."

Karessa hissed as if in pain as she winced. "Oh, that is just cruel." She had a sympathetic look on her face as she looked down at Ron. "Now I really feel sorry."

"For Ron?"

"For Ginny." She gave Harry a sidelong glance as she smirked deviously. He chuckled.

* * *

><p>As soon as Ron was all patched up, Madame Pomfrey sent the others boys on their way – to their reluctance – as they kept glancing back to Harry and Karessa, but eventually filed out. Now that the biggest distraction was dealt with, the matron focused on finding what she needed for Harry's injured shoulder. She gave him a small potion to reduce the swelling a little instead of a full dose so he wouldn't feel drowsy and could make it back to his dorm without problem, then proceeded to explain a salve she was giving him used to relax the muscles in his shoulder to induce a slower healing process.<p>

"Now remember, you must rub the salve thoroughly over the tender area, and it will be a little uncomfortable at first, but will start feeling better as the shoulder heals." She said rubbing some of the thick purple stuff on Harry's shoulder as he grimaced at the sore pain. "Make sure it is properly rubbed in till there is no more of the color on your skin, and twice a day should do just fine; one before dressing in the morning, another before bed. I recommend after showers are more suitable." She handed the boy his shirt, which Karessa helped put back on him.

"Any questions?" the older woman asked.

"No, thank you so very much, Ms. Pomfrey." Harry said as he gathered his things and hopped down from the bed. The matron smiled.

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Potter, just take it easy on your shoulder; you wouldn't want to pull something before Quiddich season, now would you?" the young man laughed.

"No you're quite right, thanks again."

"Before we go, Madame, I was wondering if you had that salve I requested to be made ready yet." Karessa asked kindly.

"Why yes dear I do. Just a moment." She went off towards her office to go get what the young girl requested.

Harry looked at her curiously. "What does the salve do exactly?"

"Well it is a basis of the one you have, but the dose is thirty times stronger than the average rate in which a human could normally use; the dose I've requested has the potential of being quite lethal, but it is also a balm mixed for the purposes of healing burns, scars, and bone aches as well as other skin damages and repair them."

"It sounds pretty useful to me, so what about it is so lethal?"

"It is because most of the ingredients and incantations used to make it are part of dark magic. It was a necessary to have it cleared with Dumbledore and the current Minister of Magic in order to _collect_ the ingredients, so I've been told."

Harry looked rather surprised at her. "Why would you want that?"

She gave him another secretive smile. "Some things are better left untold; I'm afraid it wouldn't be wise at this point in time to tell you something –"

"That I would need to have a very convincing talk with the Headmaster should I want an appropriate answer?" he asked cheekily echoing her words before. She laughed.

"Exactly. He'll tell you if it's needed for you to know, but for now just relish the mystery and enjoy some peace of mind; because a secret is the knowing of something that has the ability to change lives should the wrong person hear it." The matron was making her way back to the two teens at this point. "Trust me, curiosity is a killer, and you're better off not knowing."

Before Harry could ask her to explain, Madame Pomfrey had walked up to them holding a rather large jar of sparkling blackish-blue mixture which she then handed to Karessa, grateful to lose the weight. Even tight sealed as it was, the smell of the concoction was a strong odor of lilac and spices that was making Harry slightly dizzy as the scent surrounded them.

"Here you are dear, freshly sealed. Did you need anything else?" the older woman dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief; it seemed he wasn't the only one affected by the thick mixture.

_How is she not affected by it, and yet she's got it the closest to her body?_ Harry asked himself as he watched Daniels adjust the jar in her hands while she inspected it thoroughly before placing it in her bag where it peaked out from the top flap.

"No, that will be all. Thank you, and have a good day, Madame." The both turned to walk out of the Hospital wing. The matron waved back at them.

"Bye, Ron." Harry called, but the boy was too caught up in moaning and groaning in discomfort to notice him leaving. Harry looked at Karessa shortly after they closed the Hospital wing doors and stood in the hall.

"So, any place special you were heading to? I could accompany you if you'd like." He offered.

Karessa noticed a few of his fiends standing off down one of the halls as they watched the two in curiosity. She shook her head no as she smiled.

"I'm actually done for the day, so I was going to head back to my dorm, but thanks for the offer. Besides I think your friends would like a word with you." She near giggled at the end.

Potter glanced behind him then turned back to face her, rolling his eyes as he sighed. "You're right; I don't think I can avoid them. Guess I'll see you around then, huh?" she nodded as he turned away from her and made his way towards his friends reluctantly.

"No worries, I'll be fine. Thanks for spending the afternoon with me, it was fun. We should do it again sometime." She called after him.

"Definitely." he said as he and the Gryffindor boys disappeared around the corner in a hustle.

"Could we come too?" a sickly sweet voice said behind her.

She turned to see Pansy standing only a few feet behind her with Daphne and Millicent leaning against opposite walls to the hall they were standing in a few steps behind her. They were in her direct path to the stairwell that would take her up to her room.

Pansy stepped closer to her with a sly grin on her face. "Or do you think five is a crowd?" the other two girls got off the wall making to block the path a little more than before, but it wasn't like Daniels couldn't get around them if she wanted.

She adjusted the strap of her bag. "No, I wouldn't mind if you'd join us; I just didn't think you girls would care to waste your time, being who I am and my company would include Harry Potter. You kind of seem like the type that have more important things to do than entertain a muggle and 'The Boy Who Lived' is all."

Pansy let out a cruel laugh at this and her back up followed behind her as they flanked Parkinson's sides.

"At least you're aware of how things work here. But besides where your place is concerned, I wanted to ask you a few questions, and if you answer them correctly we'll be on our marry ways with little to no trouble at all. Get what I'm saying?" she said as she tried to scare Daniels into cooperation by twiddling with her wand in the other girl's face while the other two Slytherins moved a little closer to make their way to circle in behind Daniels.

Karessa smiled ignorantly. "Sure, ask away and I'll answer as accurately as I can."

"Oh, I know you will." Pansy said. "So let's start with something simple; what is your name?"

"Karessa Daniels." She answered.

"What do your eyes look like?"

"Greenish-blue, five pointed star-shaped pupils."

"Are you a muggle?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you're not just a squib using a muggle's lifestyle for a cover?" Pansy narrowed her eyes.

"I'm positive my muggle heritage is not by choice, nor do I recall ever having any real magical background on my side of the family aside from my great-or-so aunt." She smiled.

Pansy got in her face at that point. "We put a truth serum in your drink earlier this morning, so we'll know if you even try to lie." She warned.

"Pansy, why the hell would you tell her that!" Daphne screeched at her. Pansy looked at her friend.

"_Shut up_, Daphne! Why are you here in Hogwarts then if you are not a witch?" she said as she went back to addressing Daniels; this was their moment of truth.

"I'm a guest, if anything else. I'm here to learn your ways and be more informed for the future ahead of me." She said.

"You're lying." Pansy growled.

"How could I lie if you gave me a truth serum? I didn't even hesitate when I told you that."

"It doesn't mean that you still couldn't be fibbing or skirting around the answer; truth serums don't always work to their full extent."

"So you're saying you used a flawed method to get the truth out of me, and you can't even be sure if I've been telling you the truth or not?" Daniels asked her interrogator confused.

Pansy stuttered over her words as she thought of a good excuse to tell the girl. "I…Well it's – you see…oh, shut up!" she said slightly enraged as she pointed her wand in the girl's face. "I've had enough of this, I don't know what you're playing at but I'm through with this innocent act you're putting on. _What are you doing here in Hogwarts?_" she hissed jabbing her wand in Daniels' chest. Karessa was unmoving.

"I told you before; I'm only here to learn from the rest of you."

"Liar!"

"It is the truth." Karessa said in an irritatingly calm voice. This only served to add fire to Pansy's frustration.

Parkinson took in an angry breath as her wand hand shook, debating whether to hex the girl or slap her. She dropped her hand a little. "Fine, don't say anything then." She smirked viciously at her. "If you won't tell us then we'll take what we want from you."

She gestured her wand and Millicent made to grab Karessa's bag as Daphne grabbed her by the arms and twisted one behind her back to a painful angle. They moved to an open alcove off to the side so as not to be seen, and when she reacted to snatch her bag back Greengrass twisted her hand up higher to give her the silent message that they were the ones in control here. Pansy kneed her in the stomach causing Karessa to grunt out in discomfort, she dropped her head and Pansy gripped her hair roughly, messing up the braid she made to lift her head so she could whisper cruelly in her ear.

"That's a good muggle. Keep quiet and this will go a little smoother than what I had planned for you should you fail to comply with our wishes. Now let's see what you've got in that bag of yours, and hopefully it'll be what we're looking for, you can go free with minimal damage to that pretty little face of yours." She said as she gripped Karessa by the cheeks and dug her nails in which would create deep crevices in her face, possibly breaking the skin, but she couldn't be sure as they turned her body to face Millicent with her bag in hand as she unsnapped the latch.

All four girls immediately caught eyes on the dark salve. "Wow, that's a lot of salve. What's it for?" Pansy sneered in her face.

"You need to be very careful with that." She said moving towards Millicent forgetting she was being held back, and hissing in pain as the tug on her hair grew tighter. "It's really strong, and can be lethal if you aren't used to the fumes." Millicent snorted.

Daphne laughed. "Yeah, whatever. Go on Milli, try it."

"Yeah, let's see how _lethal_ that stuff really is. Open it right under this little trollop's nose and see how long it takes her to pass out." Pansy said raising Karessa's head a little higher.

Millicent put down the bag and carefully lifted the heavy jar into both her arms. She wobbled a little from the weight, which was surprisingly heavier than it looked. "Bloody hell, how on earth did she carry this on one shoulder? It weighs more than a full grown Hippogriff, and the scent is burning my eyes." She grunted trying to adjust the glass container to one crook of her arm so she had a hand free, but was struggling quite badly.

"Oh, would you hurry up already before someone comes by and wonders about all that grunting you're doing." Pansy hissed looking into the deserted hallway.

"Now don't get your knickers in a twist, I've got it." Millicent snared out as she finally managed to secure the jar in one arm as she held up a boney knee to support the weight, and leaned against the wall to steady herself. She then broke the seal on the jar top and went about spinning the lid till it loosened, but ignoring Daniels' warning she popped the top off just a crack and her eyes began to roll in the back of her head from the strong fumes.

Everything went in slow motion from then.

Greengrass called out in a slight worried tone to her friend as the girl's grip loosened on the jar and her body began to slump off to the side. Parkinson screamed angrily that she would break the jar, but neither girl noticed Karessa go completely still in their grasp.

The next thing either girl felt was pain.

Karessa had steeled her body before head-butting both Pansy and Daphne before bringing one of her feet up to kick Pansy in the hand which made her drop her wand with a shriek. She then proceeded to flip the rest of her body up and over Daphne as she was slightly disoriented from the hit to the head, then upon descent Karessa grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her into the ground. With Daphne knocked out cold Karessa was crouched down on her hands before sweep-kicking Pansy's feet out from under her so that she would fall in line to Millicent and the glass jar of salve. The mix hit her between the shoulders first before rolling away from her, but before she could make a move to get up, Millicent fell atop of her unconscious.

Pansy tried to move out from under the girl's weight but was making little progress when she looked up to see Karessa brushing off her pant legs and readjusting her top. She walked over to the stunned girl, laying trapped under her friend, and flicked her foot under the large jar to have it bounce in the air before catching it in one hand as she bent before Parkinson to pick up her bag next.

"Sorry about that, but I had to act fast or else we all might have been exposed to the strong fumes of the salve; I couldn't just let the jar break." She started walking away. "Don't worry about the other two, they should wake up in a few minutes or so, but the Hospital wing is just around the corner if you think they need attending to." She stopped before she disappeared down the hall.

"Oh one other thing, Pansy, was it?" she looked back at the fallen girl.

She nodded unsurely. "Ye-yeah?"

"If you've thought about taking my defense course, make sure your name and homeroom teacher and class are on my signup sheet by Monday." The suddenly meek girl nodded quickly.

The strange muggle left Parkinson to her own thoughts with her two unconscious friends around her.

_We may have to reevaluate our planning strategy from now on._ She thought begrudgingly to herself._ I hate to say it, but it looks like I underestimated her._

"_Bullocks_…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN****: Well there you have it! QUESTIONS ARE INCOURAGED; I WILL ANSWER ALL OF THEM!**

**- LoVeRsOfLiFe :D**


	9. Selling Out Friendship & Playing Games

**A/N****: 5/20/12. Nicky-Maree you inspire me. This chapter's for you! ;D**

* * *

><p>Pansy felt like a Hippogriff was taking up dance lessons over her body, more specifically her head; and by the feel of it, it was failing badly. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so much pain. She went to Madame Pomfrey just as soon as her mind could shake the shock in realizing that a muggle just beat her in a fight.<p>

And yet was supposed to be the disadvantaged party.

In retrospect, Parkinson could be at least a little proud of herself for discovering one thing about her new victim; and it was that she should have known better than to underestimate the enemy.

_Yeah, how many years had daddy spent drilling those words into my head?_ She thought sarcastically to herself. She winced as she tried to lay in a more comfortable position on the couch in the Slytherin common room.

She had managed to drag Greengrass and Bulstrode into the Hospital wing to be looked after by the old matron, and as far as she knew they were currently still there knocked out cold. She was prescript a potion to vanish away any bruising to her person and a calming draught to help her sleep before Pomfrey sent her on her way, but she was still left with most of the aches and pains as reminders of her foolishness.

_And everything was set so perfectly! _Her mind whined to her. It had been a sheer stroke of luck on their part to have Potter's friends in the area to tear him away from his charge; it gave the girls the ideal opportunity so they could corner the muggle. However, the potentially good plan turned to shite when they got a taste of what Daniels was actually capable of.

But _really_, how were they to know the girl could pull something like _that_ out of her ass?

Parkinson could still feel the painful twitch in her nose every time she thought about that head-butt she was delivered. Then the jar that hit her in the back; the thing felt like a ton of gold bricks – because any other type would be unacceptable for a high status aristocrat like herself – that fell right on top of her, so how the hell was a mere muggle capable of lifting that _mammoth of a container_ as if it were a jar of feathers?

With _one hand_ no less.

_Serves me right I guess for under estimating her…_ she sighed to herself as she placed a cooling charm on her face, berating herself for the thousandth time now. _At least I won't be the only one surprised by her skills._

Though she hated to admit it, the girl was good.

_Looks like plan A was a dud. At least I'm not stupid enough to try what I did a second time._ She flicked her wrist to summon a cup of tea so she could take the calming draught. _Plan B was to use those two brats that follow her around…but I think I'll end up getting more than just a few bruises if she found out._ She winced again.

Pansy tried to drink her tea as slowly and carefully as her lifted head would allow her to without having to get up. As she worked on that task, she continued with thoughts of how she would try and get Daniels to open up to her now that she'd made her intentions so blatantly known. She'd be more prepared the second time around, but the chance that she may be more closed up made Pansy believe she was going to have to now crunch her time – and fix the damage she had created quickly before her scheduled due date at the start of November. The tea was soothing her brain some, and it was then she thought of her backup plan should the use of force fail.

_Looks like we'll have to play nice with her,_ she sighed to herself. _If we want that clamp on her mouth removed, we're going to have to get close enough to reach the handles. _The idea would have been much more appalling to her if her mind hadn't started feeling the effects of the calming draught; in fact, the idea sounded very good to her, so she settled more comfortably into the couch cushions and took another sip of her warm drink.

That's how Draco Malfoy found her when he walked in the common room that evening, and if Pansy had been paying attention she would have noticed his slightly darker presence stalk over to her.

"My, my, don't we look like crap this evening." Draco said mockingly as he sidled up to the arm rest where her head was propped against. Looking down at her he could see she was in a slightly drugged state of calm or else she may have panicked upon hearing his voice by now. In fact she smiled up at him.

"Don't get me started. I feel like a giant had his fill on chocolate frogs, then sat on me to rest his feet from the extra weight he put on." He snorted lightly before sauntering over to stand slightly in front of her.

She stretched her hand over to pick up her tea but he slid a hand over to push it out of her reach. She wasn't quite coherent yet, but he wanted her to start sobering up a bit, not have her become more drugged in the head and have to try and talk to her the next day where she'd have a better chance of avoiding him then. She frowned a little up at him, squinting as if she were trying to see more clearly as she looked at him.

"Hey, that was mine." She whined. He smiled cruelly at her.

"Don't worry you'll get it back. I just thought it would be nice to talk to you a little while before you completely lost your mind." She laughed slightly.

"Alright, fine." She plopped back into the couch. "So what would you like to talk about, Drakey?"

God, that got his anger boiling through the amusement.

"Glad you asked." He stood looming over her now, and there were signs that she was coming back to her clear mind again. "You see, I've been having this strange feeling ever since eating breakfast this earlier today."

She rubbed her eyes as she squinted up at him.

"I'll be honest with you…actually, that _was_ the strange occurrence I was dealing with this morning." He had an odd smile across his lips that seemed almost vicious, not that she could see. "It only began to make sense after a question the muggle asked me this morning, and for some reason I felt the need to be _honest_ with her."

He watched as her body began to tense up again.

"So I thought to myself; why would I _ever_ care about being honest with anyone? But then I remembered seeing that _look_ on your face." Pansy groaned as she came back to her senses.

Then her face paled as she looked at him with wide eyes. _Oh shite…_

Draco glared down at her coldly as the odd smile on his face twisted into something a lot more cruel looking. "So why don't you tell me how _**your**_ day went."

There was silence as Pansy fumbled around trying to say something to him. Her muddled mind broke through the small haze as she _**really**_ took in Malfoy's form standing before her. The temperature suddenly got colder than it usually was.

_What the hell do I do? What the hell do I_ _do! ?_ She panicked to herself silently._ This wasn't supposed to happen like this!_

Pansy knew by the look on his face that he had discovered the truth serum that had probably swept through his system by now, and had anticipated how she would handle the situation when he came for her, Daphne and Millicent. The plan was to deal with him together as a whole so he wouldn't pick them out from the group. However, now with the other two currently unconscious in the Hospital wing, she was stuck to suffer the young man's wrath alone.

Pansy wasn't good with dealing with confrontations alone.

* * *

><p>He watched her squirm around under his cold gaze; she must have thought he was going to hit her or something by the way she kept flinching away from him. She was trying to find a way around facing him, that was obvious, but her movements were sluggish and sloppy so he couldn't see her getting up anytime soon without him blocking her exit route.<p>

He wasn't going to put his hands on her.

He didn't need to be aggressive to intimidate others; especially people like Pansy who couldn't function on her own without her friends to back her up. No, he wouldn't need to use unnecessary force to get his point across, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to toy with her first. He sat on the table in front of her and reached his hand behind him; Pansy flinched again, but then he brought his hand forward where she could then see her cup of steaming tea in his grasp.

He offered it to her with a disarming smile. "Drink some of this, my pet, you look a bit frazzled."

She hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching her hand towards the cup and grasping it tightly before snatching it towards her as quick as she could without spilling it. Her hands were slightly shaking as she was about to take a sip, but Malfoy's hand shot out suddenly, startling her as she yelped and almost lost her hold of the cup as she curled into herself. She was expecting a slap, but when she looked up it was to see his hand covering over the cup's opening. She looked up at him confused.

"Only a small sip, dear." He said as he pulled his hand away slowly. "We mustn't have you relapse; I'll need you at least coherent to understand what I'm saying to you."

She nodded her head steadily and took two small sips under his watchful eyes. When her body started relaxing from its tense position he leaned forward and clasped his hands between his knees as he rested his arms on his thighs.

His new found smile was back in place. "Now that the tea has loosened you up a bit, let's see about those lovely lips letting out an explanation."

"Drakey, please don't be mad. It was an accident; we didn't know you'd drink the juice – we actually didn't think you'd come down for breakfast, or _sit_ by her. Please understand. No real harm done, right? We're really, _really_ so –" he raised his hand and it stopped her dead in her dialect.

With his head lowered and his eyes closed, Draco tried to find the patience he'd need to use with Pansy, lest he strangled her then and there.

"I'm not interested in hearing you rant about how sorry you are; I'm interested in hearing you rant about how you'll make up for _your_ mistake." He looked up at her with a heated glare. "And I have no doubts that it was wholeheartedly your idea."

She gulped once but kept her cool thanks to the calming draught in her system. "What do you expect me to do to make it up to you?" she asked quietly.

He raised a brow. "It seems blatantly obvious, don't you think? You'll be telling me every, and all your plans involved with the bet against the muggle."

Pansy put her cup down abruptly to the table he was sitting on as she stared at him, shocked beyond belief. "W-what? You can't be serious, I could get disqualified for doing that, and it was just a bit of truth serum in your drink – so it's not fair that I should –"

He got up faster than she could comprehend that she'd probably just signed her death certificate with that small act of defiance. He spoke with sweet venom in his words.

"Listen closely and listen well, _Parkinson_. There are worse things I could ask of you than what I am now." He had a hand gripping her sharply by the jaw, revoking his thought of not putting his hands on her, as he kneeled on one knee before her. "That truth serum was running through my system for a good eight to ten hours, and if anyone became aware of that – especially the old _foolish_ Headmaster, then my _task_ would have gone to shite," he leaned closer to her as she tried to move away from him.

"And believe me when I say that I won't be the one blamed for the failure." He released her and gave her some space as he sat back on his haunches.

He watched her try to pull herself together again, and he pushed the cup of tea towards her; this time she drank from it without hesitation. As she took a hardier sip he almost felt sorry for scaring her the way he did – a habit he hoped would still prove him human after his assignment was carried out. It wasn't that he could really blame Pansy for what at the time seemed a solid idea in getting what she wanted from Daniels; she wouldn't have known he would have sat down where the muggle was and drink from the tainted pitcher.

If it were any other school year but this one, then he wouldn't have been so furious. But the fact was she was aware of the rumors – and some of the facts – that he was given a very classified job to do while they completed their final year in Hogwarts, and that it was very dangerous information for anybody to get their hands on.

So a stunt like that she pulled was unforgiveable without at least giving him fair warning.

He sighed heavily. "Look," he said more gently. "I only mean to be harsh to get you to understand; this situation is pretty screwy as it is. I'm already walking on egg shells around the old coot; I don't need some added stress on top of this shit pile I'm in." He stroked an agitated hand through his short blonde tresses.

"My whole year's pretty fucked up as is, so you owe me on this one."

He looked up to see Pansy nursing her cup in her hands as she didn't look up at him, but she sighed gently and nodded twice at him lightly. He sat there patiently and waited.

Raising her eyes to meet his she spoke firmly to him. "I was thinking that with our last plan in the trash, that we would try being…_friends _with her; then maybe she'd open up a bit more or we'd snoop around some."

Nodding his head he stood up. "Get some rest Pans." He said lightly as he turned away from her.

"Draco." He stopped and looked back at her. She was ringing her hands around the teacup handle as her eyes looked a little watery.

"I'm sorry." He stared at her a moment before turning back and heading in the direction of his dorm room.

"Don't worry about it; just think of your debt."

As he disappeared behind a door, Pansy sat where she was, alone in the common room and smiled to herself.

_Because you've got more things to worry about than a petty debt, stupid…_ she thought to herself.

"Bullocks…"

* * *

><p>The weekend came and went with little to no disturbance or commotion, and Monday came trudging around the corner just a little too soon for most of the students of Hogwarts. Blaise was still recovering, but he still got up early that morning so he could get ready for his classes. He sighed thinking about it – it was something he and Karessa had fought about the night before – where his companion was disinclined to him moving around so much in one day, she agreed upon his attendance so long he promised that'd he'd head straight to the Hospital wing should he become disoriented or nauseous. He reluctantly consented and they were out of her room, down for breakfast, and off to class within but an hour.<p>

However, since Karessa's schedule changed that week, she decided she'd escort Blaise to his class under a very heavy eye to the point where he had to speak up.

"Would you _please_, stop criticizing my every move." He groaned agitatedly. "Seriously, I'll be fine at least until lunch, or at the very least break. I've got everybody else's eyes on me today; I don't need yours to add onto the list."

True to his words, since Blaise and Karessa entered the Great Hall that morning everyone had been curious as to Blaise's new look, and it may have not persisted so if someone came up and asked him about it, but no one did as they'd rather speculate about his appearance instead. The young Zabini was becoming quite anxious with all the looks he was getting – he was starting to wonder if this was how Daniels felt – but was also curious as to how the girl could ignore such open stares. He was thanking his luck at the weather not being too warm out, or else he'd have to stifle himself in his robes so the students wouldn't see the new ink splashed on his arms.

"Well if you'd stayed in bed like I told you, then _no one_ would be staring at you right now." Her condescending voice broke through his reverie. She was smirking up at him now, but that quickly turned into a small frown as she looked around at the other occupants of the hall they were walking through.

"Besides, it's not really your new hair style that is making them look at you." She looked back at him. "It's the strong energy that is sizzling around and rolling off of you in waves."

He looked at her a little confused. "My energy, are you talking about my magic?"

She shook her head as she glanced around absentmindedly. "Yes and no. You're energy – more specifically your aura, is omitting a heavy charge in the air based on the _Seal_ I have given you, and basically it is fighting for dominance over your elemental magic; the one you were born with." She said all this in hushed tones.

She sat them by a window ledge next to his first class for the day as they waited for the school bell to ring. She jumped up on the ledge while he stood leaning against the wall beside her by her feet crossed to the length of the window.

"Based on the markings of the _Seal_, your elemental is Earth; the grounding basis that holds all the other elements together – a conduct between each of them, and the essence of giving life." She continued, circling a finger around his left shoulder where the arm held the symbols of water and earth.

He glanced down at his arm. "I get the whole elementals being inked to my arm, but what is the insignia of the dragon then?" he asked quietly as a couple of 3rd years ran passed them.

"The dragon was a means to connect both the air and fire symbols on your other arm so your body would be in balance with the new energy, but first and foremost was another symbol as a guardian."

"But the _Blood Bind_ was to assert my higher status as such among others?"

She nodded. "As I said, with your elemental magic being Earth it is a conduct between the other elements, and as your body tries to balance the new power you've been given, your aura is being affected. It is causing a friction of electrical force in the air that's intensifying your outward presence of clout to the other students."

He looked up at her a little stunned. "You mean they can sense this power?"

"Yes." she said exasperatedly as she tossed her hair back over her uniformed shoulder. "Which is also _why_ I didn't think it was a good idea for you to be walking around the school quite yet." She gave him a hard stare – which he wasn't too proud to admit, made him flinch some.

"Your emotions are a key player in how much of that energy you expend from your body; and with them heightened so significantly due to your ill-prepared and frazzled state," he scoffed at that, " – there's a possibility you could let out some accidental magic if your emotions are high."

He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "Alright, I understand your concern a little more, but we just started the school year, I don't want to be missing classes so soon in the semester." He took hold of one of her hands resting on her lap when she looked away from him. "Look, I promise to take it easy for the morning, and I'll go and get some more bed rest during break." She turned her eyes towards him. "I'll even skip Potions; Professor Slughorn isn't due to come back until after lunch anyway, and I'll get someone to take notes in my other classes for me."

She sighed and looked into his pleading eyes. She gave him a stern look. "Fine, but I'm serious about not straining yourself; because when I say 'accidental magic', it is _a lot_ worse than just an accident, so be careful."

He gave her a wide smile then. "I promise."

"Well now isn't that just touching?" A voice drawled behind them. The two turned to see Draco Malfoy standing just a foot behind them. "I think I may just let a tear escape my eye." He said as he wiped under his eye to emphasize his statement.

Blaise snorted and released Karessa's hand as his best mate smirked at him, but he noticed it didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, sod off. The day you let loose a few tears from anything other than pain, would be the day those icicles you call eyes melt under such emotional strain."

Draco scoffed amusedly at the proclamation but stopped as soon as he caught Daniels staring at him contemplatively. She was frowning at Blaise's last statement, he realized, and wondered what she was thinking; but the moment she noticed he was looking back at her she turned her star-like gaze away from him to look out the window.

Zabini noticed the interaction but was smart enough not to comment on it. He knew the young blonde was there more so for Daniels than for him, as Blaise also knew that Draco was in on the bet to get the girl talking.

So to see him now before classes were to start worried the Italian greatly so.

He worried most of all, not because of Draco's interest in winning the bet, but because of his _genuine_ interest in her. Of course, he wasn't willing to admit it to himself yet, but he could see with every glance or pass by Daniels that Malfoy had a certain _awareness_ of her. Now, it may be the _Blood Bind_ that was making him play the big brother role in her life, but Zabini was sure the protectiveness was not a recent or sudden occurrence; he remembered feeling that way before even officially talking to her. He originally thought maybe it was because he knew Draco's character well. More importantly he knew Draco with women – and Blaise was dead set on that he didn't want to see Karessa end up like one of them.

He was about to say something to interrupt the young man's reverie, but the school bell rang and did the job for him, breaking Malfoy out of his incessant stare. People were making their way into class now but Blaise was hesitating, and the other two noticed it instantly.

Draco smirked.

"Go on, Blaise, you don't need to worry about me I'll be fine on my own." She said as she looked up from staring outside to see him still standing by her side even after the bell rang.

"Yes _Blaise_," Draco made a shooing motion with his hand as a sly smile went across his lips. "Run along now; it isn't a good example to the other students if our Head boy wasn't in class on time."

Blaise gave him a warning glare.

"You know he's right Blaise." Karessa added in as she smiled at his discomfort in leaving her to her own devices for a while. "I need to see about talking to the gamekeeper anyhow, so I'll be occupied until first period is let out."

Blaise scrunched his brow in confusion. _The gamekeeper, who is she…?_ Then a light bulb went off in his head and he visibly relaxed. _Rubeus Hagrid._ He thought._ He's a friend to both Potter and Dumbledore as well being a teacher. I guess that'll have to do to set my mind a little at ease with leaving her alone with him._

Blaise sighed as he nodded back to her before making his way into class. He gave one last meaningful glance to Draco that escaped Karessa's notice, but the young man paid it no mind, and the door shut his view off.

There was a short silence as Karessa just sat there on the window ledge a moment while Draco stared at her and stragglers made their way through the halls at a quickened pace. Ignoring his questioning eyes, she hopped down from her perch and began walkingto the nearest staircase so she could make her way to Hagrid's hut. All the while, knowing full well he'd probably follow her should he have something to say to her – classes be damned.

He had followed close behind her in silence up until they had reached the ground floor and were walking between the pillars bridged overhead before they would end, and upon so their path would turn from stone and cobble, to grass and dirt. This was when he stopped her; gripping forth her arm firmly and tugging her close into the shadow of one of the beams, cast upon them by the sun, as his stare became more heated as he analyzed her face.

She stared back at him in slight confusion. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Malfoy?"

He narrowed his eyes in frustration and what seemed to her…confusion? The look puzzled her; mostly because of his lack of response and the way he was staring into her eyes – no, staring _past_ them. It felt like he were trying to stare into her soul, the way his gaze never wavered, his hand clenched a little tighter around her arm, and he wouldn't blink away.

_It seems almost as if he's…_

That's when she felt something like a phantom touch of someone stroking their fingers through her hair, but no one else was around the two in the area. That soon passed as quick as it came, and the look on his face became one of slight fury and bafflement. Draco sneered down at her, and that's when she knew what that feeling was.

"What are you _hiding_?" he growled.

Karessa was momentarily speechless due to her slight shock. She now realized what it was he was trying to do. Although it was a likely situation she would have to face, should someone be exponentially curious about her, she had unpretentiously thought that none of the current students in the school would be able to even _attempt_ reading minds yet. She knew better now, but at least she always came prepared for the possibility of such a thing happening.

That is, of course, why she wore such an interesting hairpin all the time.

Not only was it unique and fashionable, but it had a very old and powerful charm fused into the material while it had been forged, and blessed with _sages magic_. That, and the occulmency training she had put in with the headmaster, made the defenses in her mind quite strong and secure. Not even the Dark Lord would be able to pry her most secretive thoughts without first exerting himself.

_It's unbelievable how strong of a Legilimens he is already._ She thought to herself. _He must have been practicing this for years for me not to have first recognized what he was doing…I wonder what prompted him to learn._

She came back to focus when she felt him shake her roughly by the arm, his face near inches from her own in an angry snarl.

"I asked you a question, _muggle_."

She paused a moment as she studied him. He was about to give her a warning when she finally decided to speak; though what she said had greatly surprised him.

"I could very well ask you the same thing."

He released her in shock, though he didn't realize the subconscious action. "I don't know what you mean." he said carefully as he backed off of her.

She gave him a contemplative look. "Don't you?" she stepped closer to him now as they backed out of the shadows.

"Did I miss the moment where we somehow shared an _understanding_?" his eyes narrowed self-consciously.

"No, you only missed the moment in which we changed roles." She said calmly.

That got him confused. "What in barmy heavens do you mean by that?"

She smiled lightly. "I'm now the dominant one looking for clarity."

"And how exactly did our roles reverse when I'm still the one asking the questions?"

"Well then why are you backing away from me every time I step closer to you?" she answered his question with a question.

Draco stopped in his trek backwards in keeping his distance from her, and she halted her pursuit. His look became cold. "That doesn't mean we've switched roles."

"But the questions you've asked me prove only to be that of a defensive move on your part." She said. "If you had nothing to hide you wouldn't have been so unprepared for my first response to your inquiries."

"You hadn't even answered my first _inquiry_." He bit out mocking her response.

"It is not so much of what, as it is to _why_ I am hiding."

"Will you always answer in riddles then?" he said frustrated with her running circles around him. "Are you incapable of providing me with a straight answer?"

"It's all just a game we're playing." She said lowly, and he froze as he weighed her words in context.

He dared ask: "What kind of game?"

She gave him a knowing smile.

"The kind where everything comes with a price," She said. "The price of peace is war, for food and shelter you need coins, and for influence you need power. It's the price of life."

He paused while he thought of her words. "But in some cases, the price of life is that of another life; we must destroy others to ensure our own." His voice became dark.

To his surprise he saw understanding and empathy within her eyes – and it scared him – but it was her words that shocked him most.

"It is not so much the price of life as it is the price of security." Her voice and eyes became very distant, he noticed. "The feeling of safety is erroneous, for there is no safe place, only a place that is safer."

He realized then that she still hadn't any idea of the bet within the school going against her, but she wasn't naïve to the ever standing curiosity that buzzed around the school of her odd enrolment. He figured he was working with a game of chance with this one, and his best bet to making his ends meet was to follow along with this new game for a while, at least to see where it would take him. If worse came to worse, he could pull out when need be and cut his losses, work on a new strategy and try again.

But he couldn't stop that niggling feeling in the back of his mind that insisted there was another reason for why he'd often seek her out like this, other than to win a silly _bet_ he started.

"So what are the stakes in this particular game?" he said breaking her from her distant thoughts.

She walked past him. "You want to know what makes me vulnerable; that little bit that makes me tick – well then you'll have to do the same."

He looked over his shoulder at her as she continued to speak. "If I am to show you my hand, then you shall show me yours – simple as that, where there are no other players, all bets are off, and the deck won't be stacked – just a fair level ground for playing, without the consequences."

"But if we both know each other's hands, who is to judge who wins?" he called down to her.

He could hear her chuckle on the wind. "It will be a draw, of course. We will both walk away with the treasures of the other in hand…given you don't have any cards up your sleeve."

_She suspects me of cheating then?_ He thought as he watched her make her way to the half-giant's hut then knock on his door. Malfoy let a smirk twitch across his lips as he left the scene.

_I guess she's not as oblivious as I thought she'd be._

* * *

><p>Time flew by rather quickly for me as I chatted with the friendly giant of Hogwarts; I found what he taught very interesting, creature care had never ceased to amaze me, and I do so love animals. We talked about his classes so forth, and how I may assist him when he introduces new creatures to the younger students more so than the older ones. We also talked about his multitude of fascinating pets he's had.<p>

"You had an acromantula once?" I asked elatedly.

"Indeed I did." The big man laughed heartily. "2, technically; I also harbored a female, my Aragog's mate, Mosag." He said proudly.

"Well I'd love to meet them someday, if you would allow me to." I said hopefully.

His smile suddenly left his features to slowly take on a more saddened appearance. "That you shall, maybe sooner than you think. I'm afraid my old friend – who has indeed had a very well and long life, is drawing weaker as his old age is catching up with him, you see."

The friendly man shook his head as if to dispel such sad thoughts as we walked along the edge of the forest. "But besides all that, I'm sure you'd do very well with any of my other pets as well. Fang has taken to you like a fish to water." He smiled down at the large black dog following close to my side as we took a quick stroll before I'd leave for class.

I pat the overgrown pup on the head. "You're just saying that to justify _this terrible beast_ for being a complete softy at heart." Hagrid chuckled.

"Well true as that is, Dumbledore has also informed me of your…_gift_ with all things furry, feathery, or scaled." He hinted not so subtly as he gave me a friendly wink that made me laugh a little.

"I guess you could say I'm sort of an equivalence of the term 'green thumb' when it comes to animals."

He gave me a puzzled look before looking at my hands. "You had green thumbs?"

I giggled silently, but sobered up quickly to answer him. "Oh, it's just a muggle saying; what I mean is, yes, I have a certain talent when it comes to animals." He nodded in understanding.

"Right then, well as I was saying, I could probably use that talent to get Aragog out of the Forbidden Forest – you know so I can give him a proper funeral when he passes." He said.

"Not a problem. However I think it would be a very good idea to inform the Headmaster first, and see if he'll allow me to do as such first. We wouldn't want him out of the loop on this, of course."

"Oh…oh! Yes, you are absolutely right, what was I thinking not asking permission first?" he thought out loud to himself. "Then I'll be right on that as soon as I may." We both stopped as the school bells chimed.

"Well it looks like first period is letting out, you best be getting on to your first class for the day now. Off you go then, Miss Daniels." He said kindly.

I nodded as I pat Fang one last time. "Alright, I'll see you at break right before the class starts, then while you wait for the third years, I'll go round to the clearing in the forest to get today's lesson ready." I smiled back at Professor Hagrid before making my way up the hill to head back into the school, the wind still blowing around rather loudly.

"Yup, see you then, Miss Daniels!" he called up to me.

"Please, you are a dear friend to Grandfather Dumble, call me Karessa!" I laughed back.

"Karessa then, best be off before you're late for class!" he waved off, heading back towards his hut.

"It is duly noted, thank you!"

* * *

><p>As Daniels made her way to her Music class she had the odd feeling that she was being watched, and not the kind like she currently faced where people were just discreetly glancing at her. No, this was the kind of sensation where the hairs on the back of your neck would stand on end from someone staring at you, as well as the creeping suspicion of someone <em>following<em> you. With this thought in mind, she turned her head a few times as she stood outside her classroom for a moment to see if she could pinpoint whom the stare belonged to, but she couldn't get a head for where perpetrator may be.

Deciding she'd let the thought go for the moment she walked into the classroom and picked an empty desk by the window, like she did with most of her other classes, as she waited for the teacher to make their entrance. She pulled out her little silver-blue journal and flipped halfway to the back where she began sketching with a charcoal pencil. Anyone who'd walk past would think she were in the beginning stages of drawing a face, but what she had mostly been concentrating on, the forefront of what she found important to sketch was a pair of eyes and nothing more.

_It's about time I got these out of my mind._ She mused. _They've been at the head of my thoughts even long after he left…_ she stopped and looked to her drawing. There were two twin oval-shaped eyes staring back at her, and if she had brought her colored pencils with her they'd have been a steel blue, or possibly a stormy grey.

_Hmm…maybe that's why I've been having this strange feeling of eyes watching me; I haven't been able to get it out of my head yet._ She stopped that thought abruptly as she felt the unease of another set of eyes on her and tensed. She looked up from her sketch only to be startled back by a voice beside her.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." The voice said to her.

She looking to her side she noticed a young man of African descent sitting beside her with his hands raised in a defensive gesture as if to put her at ease. He looked to be about average height should he stand up, with a heavy or bulky build to his frame, and he was wearing a red and gold tie with the lion crest about his chest which meant that he must have been a Gryffindor.

Karessa tried to smile as she got her heart to slow down a bit. "That's alright, I just didn't see you there is all, I guess I should be more aware of my surroundings." She said.

He laughed lightly. "Yes, well, I can hardly fault you for being distracted. I should have waited for you to finish what you were doing before interrupting you between your thought like that – it was rude of me." He said, and if she concentrated she could just barely pick up his accent. It sounded vaguely familiar as she recalled her short childhood.

He offered his hand out to her. "My name is Bem."

Realization where she'd heard his accent from clicked in her brain.

She shook his hand. "Like the Nigerian equivalent of the Tiv people for 'Peace', right?" his expression held shock as he looked at her.

"Yes, how did you know that?" he asked taken aback.

She laughed, but the amusement didn't reach her eyes. "I used to have friends in that country. It was quite rich with culture." She said.

Bem had a sudden sense that this direction of conversation could turn sour so he sought for a change of subject. "So that's quite a lovely sketch you were drawing." He said gesturing to her open journal book. "You've got a talent for it I see."

She smiled down at her book. "So I've been told many a times, but thank you, Bem." She looked over to him as she closed her book.

He nodded as he stared down at her closed journal with an inquisitive look while he watched her put it away. "Who did they belong to?"

"Pardon me?" she looked up at him confused.

"The eyes." He said staring into hers. "Whose are they?"

She could have sworn his voice pitched to one of monotone just then. It sort of startled her to hear his tone modify to something with such little emotion like that…or was she imagining it?

"Oh, well I don't exactly have a model, per say. I just saw them in my mind's eye and began sketching."

His atmosphere changed again and he was smiling more broadly at her. "I understand that, but not many can do that very well, so you're pretty good."

She nodded in thanks. "Do you draw?"

He laughed. "Me? No way, I'm much more of a singer than a drawing type." He said.

"Oh, so you can sing?" she smiled.

"Yeah, I'm actually part of the school's choir." He said sheepishly. "What about you, can you sing, or maybe play an instrument?"

"Actually I do both. I sing only on occasion though, I'm not sure how good I am since I've never really sung to anyone other than my family." She shrugged.

"Well then today is you perfect opportunity, my dear!" They turned to the front to see their instructor had walked in during their conversation, and had presented himself before their desks. "Why don't you show the class what you've got, come now, don't be shy." He offered his hand to her.

Daniels looked to Bem and the surrounding class before taking the Music professor's hand as he lifted her from her seat and brought her to the front of the class as her classmates clapped for her. Turning to face the class the professor introduced her and warned anyone who tried to interrupt her or cause a disturbance during her piece would receive a detention and 15 points taken from their House.

She was slightly nervous and the teacher noticed so he gave her shoulder a squeeze and whispered a 'give it your best shot' before releasing her and sitting behind his desk. She took a moment to think about what she would sing and as soon as she did she closed her eyes, took in a slow, and even breath, opened her eyes, and sang.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're still blushing. What the professor said was true; you have an amazing voice, and to think you've never shown anyone besides your family up until this point." Bem exclaimed.<p>

"But that doesn't mean I was expecting him to invite Mr. Flitwick – while he was in the middle of teaching his own class, mind you – over to the music room to hear me sing." Daniels said abashedly. "Then for him to offer me a spot on the Frog Choir? Even you have to admit that it all was a bit sudden." She said looking at Bem skeptically as he contemplated it.

Indeed after Karessa had finished her piece she presented to the class, everyone had stood and applauded. Not a single one of them had interrupted throughout the whole ordeal, but their Music professor hadn't clapped for her. What he did do was slowly stand from his seat and strangely walked out of the classroom. This confused the students greatly until moments later they were startled to see him apparate back into the room with something squirming within his arms, only to see with a closer inspection that it was the Charms professor, Filius Flitwick. The short wizard screeched at their Music instructor, but was quickly put to ease as their professor explained to the small man what he wanted from him. Then as in a blur, Karessa was told to perform her piece again, all the while as Flitwick's jaw began to drop their Music professor's smile widened.

Needless to say the incident was all but forgiven despite being so unprofessional in the circumstances. Flitwick reminded his fellow colleague to keep his excitement at bay until _after_ classes were over.

"I think it was a great idea." He said as he took note of the disbelief on her face. "Oh, don't give me that look, I'm serious. I'm on the Frog Choir as well, and I think we could really use your voice, so what's the problem?"

She sighed heavily. "It isn't that I have a problem being in the choir, it's that Professor Flitwick wanted me to take a position as a _soloist_ on occasion for when we would perform." She bit her lip nervously. "I mean, what about the senior members on the choir, can you honestly say there won't be anyone a little upset by Flitwick's decision? There has to be someone I'd be stepping on their toes for by taking the spot they wanted – or worse, _had_." She said forebodingly.

Bem shrugged. "Honestly, yes I will agree that there might be a few skeptics of Flitwick's decision, but that will pass just as soon as they hear you for the first time." He said sincerely.

"I'll say." A light voice said.

They turned their heads to look behind them, only to see the surprising presence of Daphne Greegrass.

"Daphne? I didn't realize you were in the class." Karessa said looking slightly shocked as she glanced to Bem, who was currently having a glaring contest with Daphne.

"What do you want, Greengrass?" he said rudely. It shocked Daniels to hear such a tone from him.

"Nothing from _you_." She said with venom in her words. She stepped up close to him and smirked in his face while Daniels stood watching from the sidelines. Bem clenched his fists. "What you going to do, Big Guy?" she mocked him, baiting him to do something, but he just stood there.

She let out a cruel laugh as she whispered in his ear.

"You aren't fooling anybody, _Gryff_. Beat it!" she said firmly before moving away from him to stand in front of Karessa with a smile on her face.

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere, I think we really need to talk." She said as she gripped the other girl's wrist and began dragging her away from Bem.

"Uh, sure alright…" Karessa said unsurely. Looking back at Bem she staggered to see a very dark look on his face, but he quickly altered it into a reassuring smile when he saw her staring at him, then turned away to walk in the other direction.

_Strange…_she thought to herself.

"What was that about?" she asked Daphne, and the girl looked back at her, giving her a secretive smile.

"Oh, well, that was really nothing but…let's just say that…_you're not the only one who's harboring secrets around here_." She said slyly. Before Karessa could farther comment on that, the other girl diverted from the subject as they slipped through the halls. "You know, I really meant what I said back there – about you being a good singer. You're actually pretty good; for a _muggle_ anyway." She laughed.

Karessa frowned a little confused. "Thank you, I suppose, though I don't see why my heritage has anything to do with how it should affect my voice."

"Oh don't take it the wrong way, I meant it as a compliment, but come on now. We've got some talking to do before next class, so we should go someplace quiet." Daphne said, pulling a little more insistently on the other's wrist.

Karessa began to pay attention to where Daphne was taking her as they had made their way to stand outside in the breezy weather. She was then guided up close behind a fixture of rocks that stood at the top of the hillside by the path that would lead to Hagrid's hut. It was only once they were safely out of view from the hut below that another figure stepped out from behind the rocks.

It was Parkinson.

Upon spotting her Daphne instantly released Karessa and stood beside Pansy and they both raised their hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Please don't be alarmed." Pansy said. "This isn't going to be like our last meeting. We promise." She said as she slowly took out her wand and tossed it to Daniels, as did Greengrass, and they both landed by the third teen's feet.

Hesitant at first, Karessa picked up their wands and stood a few steps apart from the two as she held their wands in her hand. "Alright, so what's this about, then?"

The girls dropped their hands. "First off, I think we owe you an apology for our rude first impressions; so I'm sorry." Pansy said, and Daphne nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes well, ambushing a person who'd done nothing to provoke you beforehand, would seem wrong to anyone else. However, I didn't report it to the Headmaster, as I'm sure I've made it quite clear that I can take care of myself rather well." She said rather woodenly.

"Understood, and we respect you for it." Daphne said quickly before tensions rose. Then she grinned a little. "Though neither of us can deny – you're a lot tougher than we originally thought you'd be, and believe me I'm the kind of person who gives credit when credit is due, as you may already know."

Daniels relaxed some at hearing that. At least they weren't underestimating her abilities now.

"Thank you." She said.

Pansy stepped up. "Listen, we got off on the wrong foot, and I hope it's enough for you to appreciate that we're being the bigger person and asking for a new start with you." She said raising her hand to the muggle teen.

"Hi, I'm Pansy Parkinson, and this is my friend Daphne Greengrass."

Karessa stared down at the girl's hand for a long moment before raising her own and give a light shake to the offered hand. "Karessa Daniels, it's nice to meet you both."

The other two girls smiled. "It's nice to meet you as well, and although you may not know either of us very well yet, we hope to prove our trustfulness to you in the future. Maybe then we could become good friends." Pansy said.

Karessa handed back their wands; if they were willing to give her their firearms as an olive branch of peace, then the least she could do was give them a second chance at proving their sincerity in trying to befriend her.

After all, she's already kicked their ass once; they probably figured she'd do it again should the subject arise.

"So was there anything else you girls wanted to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Actually, there is. Do you have permission to go into Hogsmead Village?" Pansy asked.

She was a little puzzled with the question, but nodded nonetheless. Pansy and Daphne smiled.

"Well, we were wondering if you wanted to join us on the first school trip there this coming weekend." Daphne spoke up as she went and touched Karessa's shoulder. "If you're not busy that is."

Karessa thought about it a moment before shaking her head. "No, it should be alright, but I think I'll have to head back early, I've got some work I'd like to finish so I'm caught up with the classes I have switched from this week."

"Well, why don't you just keep your courses the same for the term so you don't have to worry about the classes switching?" Pansy said coming up to Karessa's other side and placing a hand on her shoulder as well, sandwiching the girl on either side.

"There's a likely chance I won't be here for the whole year, so it's better to do what I can while I'm here." Karessa said echoing her earlier answer to each person who asked her that question.

"Why won't you be here for long?" Daphne persisted.

"I have other responsibilities outside of getting a good education, so it keeps me moving. I'm never in the same place for very long." Parkinson and Greengrass shared a look over her head before they both simultaneously released her from their hold.

"Oh, well, alright then." Pansy said first before placing another smile across her face as she turned her attention back to Daniels. "I guess we'll just have to make due with the time we have now then, won't we?"

Daphne looked up at the nearby clock tower. "We've got about ten minutes before the bell rings for our next class." She looked to Daniels. "Do you want to walk us down to the dungeons while you got time?"

"I would, but I've got to help get the lesson plan prepared for the third years in Care of Magical Creatures." She said as she too glanced at the clock before beginning her walk around the rock formation and down the hillside path. "But I'll see you both later on sometime in the evening; dinner if I can make it." She called back.

"Why not lunch?" Daphne called down to her.

"I've got some work to do and some important matters to discuss with the gamekeeper Hagrid, but I may get one of you in my other classes, so I'll see you then!" she called up.

"Alright, um, have fun?" Pansy called down, unknowing what to say as she gave a short wave to the retreating girl. Daniels waved back up at them before disappearing inside the half-giant's hut.

The other two Slytherin girls looked at one another and smiled slyly.

"That was easier than I thought." Daphne said.

"Agreed, but then again, muggles are completely foolish and gullible." Pansy chortled as the two made their way back into the school.

"So now what do we do; I mean despite her accepting our apology, I still think she won't be inclined to tell us anything useful so soon." Daphne said. She frowned. "Not to mention our chance is even farther limited now that we know there is the possibility that she won't be around long enough for _anyone_ to start interrogating her."

"True as that may, all we can really do is play the waiting game, and maybe use a little more stealth to get the information we need." She looked at Daphne. "I'm thinking we're going to have to do some digging; if she won't let us get close enough to talk to her, then we'll need to get close enough to _borrow_ from her."

Daphne looked confused. "Borrow; like what, her clothes or something."

"No you dolt! Like her journal." Pansy rolled her eyes. "She's bound to have written quite a few things from her past in there, and perhaps she has others stashed away too. We just need to get enough leeway to get to them and we've got all the proof we need for the bet winnings to be ours." She said with a Cheshire grin upon her face. Daphne had a sudden stroke of clarity and she grinned back.

"Now that, is a genius plan. Wasn't sure you had it in you, Pans." She said patting the girl on the shoulder. Pansy brushed her hand off her and laughed, not taking offence to the comment.

"You'd do wrong to underestimate me, Daphne, my dear." Then they both laughed as they turned down a hall. A shadowed figure stepped out of the alcove they were hiding in and glared holes into the backs of the girls who had passed by, not realizing they had a third party in on the conversation.

The figure twisted their lip on a cruel angle mixed between a smirk and a sneer. "You'd do wrong to underestimate _me_, too." The figure said to the empty hallway.

Walking through the hoard of students down another hall, they blended with the rest like another nameless face in a crowded corridor.

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><p><strong>AN****: Alright I'm breaking this chapter in half, you'll get the other half later, and feel free to leave any comments or questions – I'll gladly answer them REVIEW!**


	10. Ditching Class & Catching On Fast

**A/N****: 06/11/12. Here's the other half of the chapter I promised. Enjoy!**

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><p>Blaise had gone back to Karessa's dorm room as promised to get some rest after his first class, and he had stayed there and took a short nap on the couch during break, but after waking up and staring at a wall clock he'd realized their Potions class would have only been on for about 20 minutes. He was hoping to have slept through the whole class and then possibly get up with enough time to maybe grab a quick snack before lunch ended, then hit his last two classes for the afternoon, but now he was up and about and felt restless just staying in the room with nothing to do. The young Italian didn't feel like going to Potions, but besides his reluctance Blaise had felt a little dizzy in his first class like Daniels had predicted he would, so the fumes would only add to irritate his already muddling mind.<p>

He sighed to himself. _Oh, bugger it all, I should have brought something to occupy my time. What should I do?_

He wasn't too keen in spending some time in the Hospital wing – which he was sure Daniels would persist on should he begin feeling faint again, he thought rolling his eyes – but he also didn't want to stay where he was; staring up at the ceiling unable to fall back to sleep. Sitting up slowly to test how he felt, Blaise went about gathering only what he needed for his last classes and packed them away in his side bag, he'd come back later for his other things at the end of the day.

_Now what class was she supposed to be in this period again?_ He thought to himself. _Oh that's right, Care of Magical Creatures. But she's only assisting in that class…guess I could try the giant's hut first, they're bound to be there or a little ways in the forest right now._ And so he began his trek down to the gamekeeper's hut.

Upon reaching his first destination, he wasn't too surprised to see that no one was there, so he figured his best bet was to enter the forest. Looking down at the ground Blaise could easily tell which way the students had entered the forest with the fresh tracks left in the dirt. With the sun on his side, at least he wouldn't have to worry about most of the dangerous creatures that dwelled in the forest attacking him when his head was down, but he still kept a wary eye out in case something were to take him by surprise.

He was just a little ways in the forest when he first felt like he wasn't alone, and seconds later he heard a branch snap somewhere behind him to the left. Blaise didn't hesitate, gripping hold of his wand he continued further into the woods as if he hadn't heard a thing and waited patiently as the silence of the woods was deafening, besides his own light footsteps. Whoever or whatever was watching him began following him again, but now that Blaise was paying attention to his surroundings he could better predict the distance of his pursuer. He knew he had to deal with this now because the last thing he wanted was some creature tracking him all the way to the class of third years, and that wouldn't bode well should there be a sudden panic and the students ran off without any sense of direction.

They'd strip him of his Head badge should such a catastrophe happen.

Pretending to stop and tie his shoe, it was just barely noticeable to hear the slight falter in step as his stalker paused behind him, but soon after it could be heard the slight pickup in speed as whatever was behind him decided to make a move and rush him from while he was convincingly distracted. Pulling his wand out quick Blaise dodged the lung to his person and stood facing his opponent – only to be struck dumb as he looked upon the shocked face of Theodore Nott.

Nott had his hands raised in defense as Blaise's wand was nearly stabbed in his jugular; the boy had been standing that close, and looking farther behind him Blaise could see Goyle and that 6th year kid, Harper pulling up the rear from some overgrowth by the path.

"Hey, take it easy there, Blaisey boy." Theo said with an uneasy laugh. "You'd raise arms to an old friend?"

"Depends on that friend's reason for following me." Blaise stated simply, his wand at the ready.

"I never was able to sneak up on you, and I reckon no one else has either." The boy grinned. "Come on now, put that away. I assume you're out here in the woods looking for your girl Daniels."

Theo stepped back as the other two boys came up behind and flanked him. Nott shoved his hands in his pockets, unfazed by Blaise's refusal to put his wand down.

Theo smirked. "What happen, she got tired of you and ran off did she?" he teased and the other boys laughed. Blaise felt his lip twitch up unintentionally and dropped his arm to his side after putting his wand away.

He rolled his eyes. "She's not my girl." He said as he turned away from the other boys and continued on his way to finding the third year class within the thick vegetation of the woods, Theo, Gregory, and Harper close behind him. "And she isn't lost; she's assisting a class with Professor Hagrid out in the woods today, I was just going to check in on her."

A wide grin spread across Theo's face. "Wonderful, then you won't mind if we join you then." Blaise blocked his path as he gave him a dumfounded expression.

"Whatever for?" Blaise asked.

"For the same noble reasons you are." Theo proclaimed, Blaise snorted at the noble part. "That, and the fact that no one seemed keen in attending Potions today, especially with our real prof making his way back to Hogwarts even as we speak."

Blaise eyed the other two boys.

"We don't really care what we do so long as we don't get reprimanded for it." Harper shrugged and Greg nodded his head animatedly.

Blaise sighed. "Whatever, but as your Head boy I'll only let you do this once." He said sternly.

"So says the boy who's abusing his power even as we speak." Theo said pertly as they continued walking.

"Oh, shove off. I'm at least at liberty to _be_ pardoned from class." Blaise said lethargically.

Theo shrugged. "Just saying, power is tempting; makes a guy wonder, with the way you walk in and out of the new girl's dorm –"

"You been stalking me Theo?" Blaise narrowed his eyes with an amused smirk, but Theo continued as if he hadn't heard him.

"– like you own it…" Theo paused and then smirked. "Must be quite opportune, eh, Blaise?" Blaise let the implication slide as he ignored the question.

They stopped short as they heard distant voices up ahead of them.

"Keep quiet already, would you." Blaise muttered. "Looks like we've caught up with the group, they're about 5 meters ahead of us."

"Brilliant." Harper inputted. "Now what do we do?" he asked.

Theo walked ahead of them and Blaise walked shortly behind him. Theo turned and winked cockily. "We walk on over, and act like we belong there." The other two looked at each other, but quickly followed soon after. They were out this far already, might as well make the most of it before trouble arose.

At first the boys stood far off to the back just as soon as they caught sight of the third years standing or sitting in various spots in a semicircle upon large rock clusters. All heads were turned towards the giant speaking animatedly to the students as he stood in the center, gesturing wildly with large sweeping motions of his hands.

"Alright then, now that we've covered all the basics for your assignments due in two weeks, I've got a great treat for yeh today!" Hagrid said excitedly. He turned to look behind him and called out as he gestured for someone who was out of the class's immediate sight.

"Bring em down now, Miss Daniels!" all the third years stood to try and get a better look at who, or what, was coming towards them as heavy hoof stomps were permitting through the silence of the trees.

"Uh-oh." Blaise said forebodingly, and his three uninvited companions looked at him questioningly… well, two of them; Goyle was still stretching his neck out in anticipation of what was to come out of the woods.

"What do you mean by 'uh oh'?" Theo asked as he glanced back nervously to the surrounding trees ahead, which still hid the object of the class's attention within the tall brushes of vegetation.

The hoof falls were getting closer.

"Yeah." Harper added his two cents. "Do you know what's coming to us?"

"Yes." Blaise said and glanced at his cohorts. "As you should as well; after all, we were all shown these in our third year. Take a wild guess as to what can make those hoof noises?"

Nott and Harper's faces dropped a little. Goyle finally turned to look at his friends, confusion written on his face.

"Those half-horse, half-people creatures?" he asked.

"Well you got the half-horse part right." Theo said as he rolled his eyes sarcastically and Harper gave the clueless teen an incredulous look. "Those are called centaurs by the way, but try and guess again."

Goyle actually took Theo's words to heart and thought about it for a second, then as if a light bulb had been fixed in that thick head of his, his expression changed to one of realization.

"Oh! You mean th –" the big guy didn't get to finish his sentence before the excitement from the teacher reached the students, for upon seeing the creatures in question incessant chatter picked up, and the students backed away in awe and slight fear.

The Hogwarts herd of Hippogriffs had made their entrance into the clearing with thick leather collars around each of their necks and a long chain, but seeing as the four 7th year boys were expecting this they weren't surprised to see them.

What _did_ amaze them was to see the muggle girl of their year bringing in the rear of the herd.

She was encouraging the flock to make their way into the clearing and had each of their chains wrapped thoroughly around one of her forearms, while she held a tight grip on the ends so as not to have the beasts' strength throw her off balance with their tugging.

She had also changed her clothes, which didn't go unnoticed to the older boys, where now instead of her altered uniform she was wearing what only one could assume were her 'active' clothes. A light leather fabric hugged her midsection, designed much like a corset that bound under her chest in a tanned rusty brown color with straps that crisscrossed on her back by the shoulder blades and across her ample bottom stopping down to about mid-thigh. Under her bindings she wore another stretchy fabric that had a high collar up to her neck that zipped up at the front, much like a one piece halter suit that covered her from her neck to her ankles.

The fabric disappeared beneath leather ankle boots the same color as her bodice, and the leather fingerless gloves adorning her hands, while the suit was a grayish- ashen green tone that fit in well with the forest theme. The gloves went from her elbow to point down in a triangle over the topside of her hands and palms as the point circled around the middle fingers. There was also a brown belt with multiple pouches and pockets circling her hips while she had her hair swooped up in a high ponytail at the back of her head. The only notable jewelry they could see were two small gold loops in both her ears, and the unusual ensemble of dead ferrets circled over her right shoulder to her left hip.

The whole thing completed the look of a young trainer the way she presented herself.

Blaise wasn't alone in being stunned into silence, especially upon seeing the slip of a young woman such as Karessa honing the strength to keep a steady control on twelve Hippogriffs – and with one hand no less – but apparently her other arm was too busy holding something else. It was surrounded in cloth so neither Blaise nor any of the other students could see what it was she had, but one of the creatures, the one with the gleaming chestnut coat, was hovering close to that side of her where the bundle lay safely tucked in the crook of her arm. The Hippogriff would nuzzle her arm every so often and Karessa would just whisper softly to it as she stopped the herd right in the center of the awestruck students and stood next to Hagrid.

"Alrighty then, children, who can tell me what these creatures here, are?" Hagrid asked the class.

Six hands shot up instantly. The class was a mix of Slytherins and Ravenclaws luckily, so the four older boys wouldn't be as noticeable when Hagrid scanned the crowd for someone to answer his question.

"You there, John! What do we have here?" Hagrid said pointing to a very skinny 3rd year Ravenclaw with a mess of brown curls and blue eyes.

"That there are Hippogriffs, ain't they, Professor?" John said.

"Correct you are, John!" Hagrid exclaimed.

"But, sir, he's only half right, he is." Theo bravely stated from the back of the class.

The class all turned to look behind them to see Theo grinning as he was swatted by Harper on the arm while the other two boys just stood stock still. Blaise gave Nott a look which he ignored so he turned his attention to Daniels, who had been staring at the boys like the rest of the class, was. She raised an eyebrow with an amused look on her face and he responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh? What else did Mr. Mavers miss?" Hagrid asked confused if not a bit suspicious now that he'd noticed the four boys.

Theo's grin grew wider. "Why, I see what looks to be about a dozen hippogriffs there, but it seems there is another lovely creature before us as well." He looked directly at Karessa. "I don't suppose the class knows what species she is, now do they?" A look of comprehension dawned upon Hagrid's face as the class laughed. Harper snorted as he and Blaise rolled their eyes and Goyle scratched his head in confusion while Daniels had laughed along with the class. She had put down her bundle of cloth on a nearby nest of rocks as the chestnut Hippogriff kept close.

"Right, forgive me class!" the friendly giant said. "I've forgotten to introduce you all to my assistant for our class; she'll be joining us every once and a while." He gestured an arm to her. "This here, class, is Miss Daniels, for those of you who have forgotten, she was our new student. Well, our half-student, I guess." He chuckled.

Karessa nodded her head to the class and smiled as she adjusted her hold on the chains she was holding.

"Right then," Hagrid clapped his big hands once together. "Now what is the one thing yeh need to remember when dealing with a hippogriff?" Hagrid pointed to a petite redhead from Slytherin.

"Be careful of their flight feathers?" she asked.

"True, but not quite a danger as something else. Another guess, anyone?" he looked through the crowd of hands. "Wha' 'bout you, Mark?" he pointed to a boy with brown eyes and freckles from Slytherin again.

"To be wary of their claws?" the boy said warily eyeing one of the animals cleaning its talons with its beak.

"Talons, and yes, you need to be careful with those as well, but no. Anyone else wanna give it a guess?" Hagrid asked. "No one? Alright then, Mr. Zabini, would you happen to remember the answer from your third year?"

Blaise looked to his friends for help, but didn't find any there so he turned his head back to the awaiting class as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "The most important thing to remember when dealing with a hippogriff is proper etiquette, Professor." He said embarrassedly.

"Very good, Blaise." Hagrid smiled. "Proper etiquette is the first most important thing yeh have to remember 'cause you see, hippogriffs are very proud creatures; easily offended, they are." He looked back at Karessa as she had walked to a thick trunk of a nearby tree and wrapped the multiple chains around it, keeping only one chain wrapped loosely around her forearm as she walked back to his side.

She had chosen to keep with her the chestnut brown one.

"Now, Miss Daniels, if you please. Would you demonstrate to the class the proper way to approach a Hippogriff?" Hagrid said to her.

She nodded and smiled. "Sure thing, Professor."

She loosened the chain further and opened a side pouch on the belt at her hip. Taking out a dead bat she tossed it over the creature's head so it landed a small ways behind and the brown animal distanced itself from the girl as it went to retrieve the snack. She then slowly made her way closer to it while it ate.

"Now watch closely here, class." Hagrid said to the students in a hushed tone as he signaled them to step closer. "You see how she moves cautiously? Well it's 'cause yeh must first wait for the Hippogriff to notice yeh; you don't want them startling by your presence and they are ter always be the one ter make the firs' move. It's polite, see?"

The students watched as the brown bird finished its snack and lifted its head to notice Daniels standing about ten feet away looking back at it. It looked at her curiously.

"Now you see how she doesn't blink, it is best to keep total eye contact with them while yeh got their attention." Hagrid continued. "Next is to bow to them, an' yeh wait, and should they bow back, you can go up and touch em."

Karessa gave an exaggerative but graceful bow that made the class let out a few giggles before quieting down again to watch what would happen next. The Hippogriff fluttered its wings a bit and the class gasped as a whole as they backed up, but Daniels held her position, then moments later the large bird nodded its head and bowed gracefully back. The crowd of students let out an awed cheer and clapped.

"Ah, that'll do just fine there, good work." Hagrid smiled. Daniels stood back up to position and unlatched a ferret from the string loop around her shoulder and tossed it to the brown bird. It caught the treat in midair with its beak and happily swallowed it whole.

"She's been given permission to approach now, and remember, not all Hippogriffs will respond the same way to other people." He said as they watched Daniels walk steadily up to the animal and stroke the side of its neck while it cooed at her. "Sometimes it may take longer for them to respond to yeh, and other times, should a hippogriff not bow back, well then step away real quick-like, them talons will hurt."

Karessa stepped away from the large beast and moved closer to Hagrid and the class.

She smiled as she looked upon them. "Now who's brave enough to try it themselves?" she asked and the students went quiet. She looked to the back of the students and produced a sly look. "Since you boys are obviously not supposed to be in this class currently, why don't one of you give it a go?"

The four 7th years froze on the spot.

"What a wonderful idea!" Hagrid exclaimed. He turned to the four boys. "Now which one of yeh is daring enough to do it?"

Before anything could be said, Karessa nominated Blaise to be their representative. The class clapped for him as Daniels took his arm and brought him closer to the Hippogriff, stopping ten feet in front of it again.

She stood slightly behind the tall Italian. "Now just relax and be sure to give direct eye contact." She said to him calmly.

"Okay." He said agitatedly. "But did you have to call _me_ up, I'm still a little edgy from this morning, and I think it's rather obvious to him too." He said quietly as they both bowed to the chestnut hippogriff, its feathers looking a bit ruffled and fluffier than before as it eyed Blaise cautiously.

"Her." she said offhandedly.

"What?" he said, almost forgetting not to take his eyes off the large bird so he could look at Daniels.

She looked at him. "Her; this particular hippogriff is a female."

"Oh, forgive me; it's hard to tell the difference." He said sarcastically.

"Focus, please." Hagrid said to the two. Daniels nodded back at him.

She gripped Blaise by the shoulder. "Just relax, and your aura will settle along with it. Think of this as a small step of your training." She felt his muscles loosen under her grip and the air around them became calm once again. The Hippogriff began to respond to the calmer atmosphere and flapped its wings twice.

"Hold. Easy does it…" Hagrid encouraged.

Moments later the Hippogriff bowed back and the crowd clapped again. Karessa and Blaise stood back up and she threw another ferret to the creature.

Blaise smiled down at her. "So you picked me on purpose for this reason, did you?"

She smiled back. "Yup."

"So then what step was that of my training?" he asked gently.

Her look became sly. "Step zero." His smile dropped instantly as he pouted at her as she giggled at the look he gave her.

"Alright then, now go up and touch the features." Hagrid said.

Blaise and Karessa moved slowly up to the chestnut bird, Blaise's hand stretched out with hers holding him by the wrist. They moved a lot slower than when she went to pet the creature herself, but it didn't stir to their approach and allowed Blaise's fingers to stroke through the feathers of its neck gently.

"Well done there, Blaise." Hagrid commended as he walked up to the two teens. "Now, how's about seeing you ride her?"

"_What_?" Blaise said wide eyed. He watched Daniels hop onto the beast effortlessly as she straddled its back and grabbed hold of the chain. Hagrid came up behind him and lifted him easily up behind her, and Blaise steadied himself as he slapped his palms down to keep him balanced.

"Now go easy on him, flying a hippogriff ain't quite the same as flying a broom now."Hagrid said to Karessa and she smiled. He slapped the Hippogriff's hindquarters and it reared up, nearly throwing Blaise off its back before he grabbed a tight hold of his saddle partner's waist.

They galloped for a short few seconds as the beast spread its wings, then took off into the sky at a fast pace. At first Blaise was a little too anxious to really enjoy the view as he gripped tighter onto Daniels, but upon hearing her laugh on the wind he looked up at her smiling face as her hair blew around her.

"Come on Blaise, just relax. Look around you right now." She yelled over the wind for him to hear her. He looked out before him and saw the bright sun shining overhead of them.

They were flying between the clouds for the moment, but soon the Hippogriff ducked under them at a fast rate to drift closer to the Black Lake. He dared crane over to look deeper into the water and could just make out a few figures of some of the aquatic life that dwelled there. He instantly began to relax again as he released his tight grip on Karessa and outstretched a hand to scrape the water with his knuckles.

He took in a huge breath and released a sigh.

"Feeling better now?" she looked back at him.

He smiled as he lifted back up. "Very much so."

"Good, 'cause the fresh air will do you some wonders to break the stress you're currently facing." She said as she turned back ahead of them. "So have you been getting any dizzy spells?"

"Once; I almost had one, but I went back to your dorm and took a quick rest like I promised." He stressed teasingly. She laughed.

"Good."

"But I was hoping to sleep through Potions; didn't work out so well, so I came to check up on you." He said.

She nodded. "Well, I'm alright with that, it lets me keep a better eye on you, and I've explained our situation to the Headmaster so you're technically excused from classes when need be." She directed the Hippogriff back towards the forest. "You and the boys can stay for the rest of the class until lunch; I'll settle it all with Hagrid later."

"Thanks." They had almost made it back when the clearing where the class waited below them became visible.

"By the way, Pansy and Daphne approached me again today." She could feel his body turn rigid behind her.

"What'd they do this time?" he asked only because he knew about the incident outside of the Hospital wing when she told him. He saw this coming and was incredibly frustrated with himself for being too weak at the time to go and protect her, but he was just as mad at Potter for leaving her unattended.

He had a nice chat with him about that the following day over the weekend.

"It's nothing to worry about. Like I told you the other night, I can handle myself, and I handled it then as I did now." She said rolling her eyes at him.

He smirked. "You kicked their ass?"

She bit the inside her cheek to stop from smiling. "I told you I subdued them, not 'kicked their ass', and no, this time they really did just want to talk with me."

"So what did they want?"

She looked back at him before they were preparing to land. "They offered a truce; a step towards friendship."

Blaise's brows shot up in surprise before narrowing in suspicion. They had landed flawlessly and the students cheered them on as they jumped down from the animal. Blaise came around to her side as she guided the Hippogriff back to the rest of the herd where Hagrid was standing, and whispered low in her ear.

"Don't trust them, I don't think the offer will stand for long so I'll check into it a little more when I can." She nodded as she handed the animal's chain to the big man.

"Very well done, you two! 30 points for Slytherin." The third year Slytherin cheered, as did the 7th years present.

"Now before I wrap up the class, is anybody else interested in taking a flying lesson?" Hagrid asked. A few students raised their hand hesitantly and Hagrid smiled jovially. "Well we'll save that for another class then, any other questions?"

"Professor, do the hippogriffs belong to the school?" John asked.

"Why yes they do, John, and all twelve of them stay under my watchful care." Hagrid said proudly.

"Actually, Professor, there are thirteen." Karessa interjected.

"Thirteen? I'm pretty sure after taking care of them for so long I'd remember an extra joining the herd, are you sure Miss Daniels?" he asked.

Karessa nodded as she walked on over by the flock. "Yes, sir, yesterday you may have been correct, but between then and now, a new member has made their presence known." She pat the chestnut colored Hippogriff on the beak as it tried to follow her back to the bundle in the rock nest earlier created.

She walked back as she unwrapped the bundle and the chestnut bird sniffed the blankets as Karessa removed layer by layer until the students could see the cloth begin to stir, which surprised everyone. Removing the last bit of cloth from view, the students could then see a small body nestled in the girl's arms; it was a fluff of beautiful light golden-brown feathers and a hide to match.

"Merlin's beard, that's a baby hippogriff!" Harper exclaimed, and the people moved slightly closer to get a better look without aggravating the mother standing guard of her baby in Daniels arms.

"Gingerwing, here, had laid her first egg sometime in the late morning yesterday," she said gesturing to the brown Hippogriff that stood close beside her, nuzzling the little one that was beginning to awaken to the world. "Then little Brown-sugar made her appearance maybe 2 hours ago." She smiled down at the little thing in her arms.

Brown-sugar yawned wide before chirping slightly to get her mother's attention, and Gingerwing began grooming her baby while the students and Hagrid watched the exchange, Hagrid blubbering about the beauty of a mother and a child bonding. The baby looked just like its mother, only with a lighter and sandier tone of brown to its feathers, with big orange eyes, small wings curled up to its body, and a darker brown hide for the horse part of the body, almost the same shade as Gingerwing.

Off in the distance the school's bell chimed.

"Alright, children, time to head back! We'll pick up again in tomorrow's class, now hurry along!" Hagrid said to the class after he pulled himself together. Karessa handed the baby off to Hagrid after stroking the little one's head to hear her coo, then went about untying the rest of the herd. A grey one with black flecks in its wing alerted her of someone behind her, and upon looking back she saw Blaise staring at her curiously.

"You go on ahead; I'll meet up with you later." She told him.

He frowned lightly at her. "You're not coming to lunch?" he asked.

"I've got some things to discuss with professor Hagrid after we bring the herd back to their pens. Then I'll need to change, but I'll see what I can make before our last classes begin."

He hesitated for a moment before he heard one of his three friends call out his name. He gave her one last glance and she shooed him away saying that she'd be fine, but he told her to stay by Hagrid's side until she was going to come and meet him.

"Yes, yes, I'll meet you outside of the Great Hall, now go." She laughed, playfully shoving him away in the direction of the retreating class. "Remember I can handle myself. I'll see you later."

He nodded smiling down at her before walking off to meet his friends. As she watched him walk away she caught eyes with Theo, and upon realizing he had her attention he smirked at her and winked before walking off with the rest of the students.

Karessa laughed to herself as she shook her head.

"Alright then, Miss Daniels, I think it's about time we take the herd an' the little one back to their holding pens." Hagrid said making his way to stand beside the girl, all the while stroking fondly at the hippogriff hatchling.

"Please Hagrid, call me Karessa, and you're quite right," she agreed. "But also, I'd like to discuss something with you before I head off as well."

"Oh, and what would that be, Karessa?" he laughed, but his voice held a note of curiosity.

She paused a moment as she contemplated her request.

"I assume Dumbledore had given all the teachers a small debriefing about me upon my arrival, correct?"

"Yes," Was his puzzled reply, "But even then your presence and his reasoning was abridged; nothing digging too deep – strictly on a 'need-to-know', if you catch my drift." He said.

She nodded. "Yes, I had thought as much. I need to keep as much of a low key as possible, since no doubt I could attract a panic in the Wizarding community; more so with the pureblood families still taking to their old ways."

"Quite right you are." Hagrid said dejectedly. "So what can I do you for, Miss Karessa?" he asked as they both went about releasing the hippogriffs into their designated area.

"Well you see, I'm getting quite a large _package_ delivered to the school in a few days time," she began as she locked the gated area. "It would be sometime during class so I was wondering if you could look after it for me." she bit her lip in anticipation of his answer.

"Well of course I could, but will you be picking it up after one of your classes then?" he asked cheerfully.

"Actually, therein lies the problem…you see it isn't exactly something I can keep in the school." She said sheepishly. "I don't think it would be wise, but, is there a possibility of you finding an appropriate place for my delivery to be dropped?" she said hopefully as she handed her letter to the kind giant.

He looked it over curiously before a smile broke out on his face and he laughed jovially. He smiled down upon the young teen. "I think I may have just the place for your, er, _delivery_." He winked at her.

She gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you so much. I should be on my way now, did you need any more help with anything?" she asked. The large wizard patted Karessa on the head in a friendly manner as he laughed.

"No, Miss Karessa, I believe that's it for today, but thanks for the consideration. It's best you head back now, we can talk more another time." Hagrid said as Karessa handed back the string belt of dead ferrets to him. "Better next time if we talked to old Dumbledore also so that we may discuss you entering the Forbidden Forest past the day hours…or unaccompanied for that matter."

Karessa nodded her head as she started back towards the school while removing her gloves as well. She waved back at Hagrid. "Alright, I'll see you again tomorrow for class then remember we skip to week after!" she called back, and soon after he lost sight of her through the trees.

* * *

><p>"Where have you been all this time?" The voice startled me out of my reverie as I felt the grip of someone's hand on my arm. Looking to my left I relaxed some once I saw the worried and slightly annoyed expression on Blaise's face before me. "We were supposed to meet after lunch but I couldn't find you."<p>

"Sorry, I got a little caught up when I went to talk to Dumbledore in his office. By the time we had to close our discussion my next class was about to start, so I wasn't able to meet up with you like I would have." I said sincerely.

He seemed intrigued now. "Oh? What was it you needed to talk with him about?" he asked discreetly as we made our way to our table in the Great Hall. Dinner was in the midst of being served for the evening.

"Nothing you need to be worrying about right now, but we'll talk more of it later." I smiled back. I couldn't help but be honest with him, but I also couldn't tell Blaise everything that was going through my mind right now.

After leaving Hagrid's hut all changed back into my school outfit I grabbed my bag and had every intention of meeting Blaise for the afternoon after dropping some of my things back at my dorm, but then moments before I opened the entrance into my temporary home, I felt eyes on me again. I don't know what it was, but it was the same ghostly chill I felt earlier on in the day, and at this point it was sending cold shots into my blood. With a sudden feeling of dread I had rushed into my dorm and shut the portrait hole as quick as I could, but not quick enough to notice that the hall I had been standing in showed me that no one else had been standing there with me. It boggled my mind how something like this could make me feel so powerless, so fearful, and so lost for words.

I knew I was better than this irrational fear that took hold of me, especially if there was yet to be any proof of this person or thing that had me losing my calm over it, but for some reason I couldn't shake the feeling of danger whenever I felt it. It was merely a hunch at the moment but with a split decision I quickly gathered what I needed for my next classes and went straight to the Headmaster's office; I needed to speak to Dumbledore about this.

If someone was watching me – if _they_ knew I was in the Wizarding district, then there was bound to be someone that was part of this community looking for me…

Someone in the _school_ was looking for me.

I had informed Grandfather Dumble about this likelihood and we discussed multiple ideas in how to wheedle out our options in finding this person…but there were so many possibilities that it would be hard to illuminate subjects on the list

…_I can't even rule out some of the friends I've made so far. _I thought sadly to myself. I felt Blaise touch my shoulder gently and I looked up to see the worry lines on his strong features once more. I had almost forgotten where I was right then, so I shook those unpleasant thoughts from my head.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. I smiled gently at him to try and lessen the worry I knew he felt for me.

"I'm just thinking to myself is all, and I promise I will fill you in on it later." I said as I pulled him down beside me at our table, away from the other occupants. "I'll tell you right before we leave once you've picked me up to go to Slughorn's candidates' tea, so eat light." I said as I nibbled on a small chicken tender from a platter in front of us.

He sighed dejectedly, whether it was for my lack of response to his question or to the upcoming events we were due to take part of later in the evening I couldn't tell, but he poured himself a glass of cranberry juice before grabbing a roll from the table and splattering some butter on it. I watched him curiously for a few moments and as such he caught me staring at him while he ate. He gave me a puzzled look.

"What is it?"

I smiled. "I'm just impressed is all. You're doing a lot better with controlling your emotions at the moment; it's almost unrecognizable between all the others in the room now."

"Well I remembered what you said from before and so when I started feeling a little stressed I did what you taught me, and eventually I started realizing less and less people were staring at me then." He said proudly.

"Good." I said. "Now let's try and keep our egos at bay too." I nearly let loose a giggle at the new affronted expression on his face.

"I am not the egotistic type." He smirked. "At least not like a certain grey-eyed blonde we both know."

I laughed shortly; circling a finger around the rim of my drink as an image of those eyes entered my mind. Draco Malfoy was definitely an interesting character to me and I could only hope he would take my offer in kind, as of knowing he was interested in me as well. I thought it was a fair trade of secrets, should we ever get that deep, but my main objective was to help him through whatever tough time he was going through while at school.

Under all those cold stares and blatant smirks he just seemed so miserable.

I noticed Blaise tense his posture from beside me abruptly. He was seated towards the entrance of the Hall while I had my back facing the teachers table at the end of the room, but Blaise was looking at something from over my head with a small frown creasing his forehead. I was going to asking him what had his attention when my answer came in the form of a light hand gripping my shoulder, and seconds later a smiling face accompanied it in my view as I recognized the blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Hey there, Dans!" Daphne said using a variation to my surname – I guess they were working on trying to be my friend. "We saved you a spot, come join the rest of us." She said tugging me up from my current seat.

"Well, I'm kind of already here with Blaise." I looked to Blaise and he shrugged his shoulders stiffly, though he smiled reassuringly. Daphne noticed my hesitation.

"He can come along too, it's not like he doesn't have friends on our part of the table too." She laughed airily. She got me to stand up and the three of us made it down the table length to where she, Pansy, Millicent, and some of the boys were seated eating and chatting boisterously. I saw that Draco wasn't among them as I took a seat between Blaise and Pansy while Daphne sat across from me next to her sister, Astoria, and that Harper kid I met earlier. Some of the conversation died away upon me sitting with them, but most of other people were still eating their food, uncaring about my presence.

Daphne's kid sister was the first to say anything as she glared heavily at me. "What is _that_ doing here?" she sneered. This allotted the attention of some of the others who hadn't noticed me yet.

"You're on the wrong end of the table, muggle." Millicent supplied laughing mockingly from Pansy's other side. "Only real students of Hogwarts eat in this section."

I could see Blaise readying to defend me, but Pansy beat him to the punch as, what I would assume, she kicked her from under the table which caused Millicent to yelp out. She glared at Pansy.

"Blimey, what'd you do that for, Pans?" Pansy glared back at her.

"That was for being incredibly rude to the school's new _guest_. Especially when what you should have been doing was acting like a good fellow housemate and showing Daniels a little more _hospitality_." She said firmly. Millicent gave her a confused look and Astoria looked offended.

"Are you off your rocker, Pansy?"

"Yeah what gives," Millicent proclaimed. "Just the other day you were talking bad about –"

"About how _dreadful_ our behavior was towards her from the beginning had been." Daphne butt-in, as she gave both her sister and Millicent a waning glare.

"But not to forget, Daphne, we're also making up for that behavior." Pansy interjected staring Millicent down beside her. "We also know that chances of her accepting our _friendship_ was monetary to none, and that _all bets were off_." She gave her a meaningful look.

I glanced at Blaise and it seemed he understood immediately what was trying to be said. I had a sudden feeling that I was missing something important in the way that Millicent's face lit up in comprehension and in so directed a rather forced, if not embarrassed, smile my way. Now I knew I had missed something in this exchange.

"Pansy's right, that was incredibly rude of me, um, _Karessa_. I'm sorry for what I said, so you'll have to forgive me for my hypocritical outbursts from occasion; old habits die hard, I'm afraid." She said uneasily.

I was hesitating again in forgiving her, not because I would harbor a grudge based on what she said, but because I didn't think she was being heartfelt about it; and that was something I'm sure the other girls could see. As I sorted out my thoughts they all waited with baited breath for my answer, so I eventually let whatever just happened go and accepted her apology.

_I'll have to store this occasion away for another day to think about it later._ I thought as I watched the three friends exhale in relief.

I looked over to see Astoria still sneering at me, but Daphne quickly gave her a hard nudge when she noticed the look on her face. The younger Greengrass scoffed as she rolled her eyes and turned her head away muttering something about losing her appetite, and then she got up and left the premises. Daphne gave me an apologetic smile and I shook my head to alleviate any of her worries about this affecting the friendship we were just starting.

_At least someone is being honest with their feelings towards me._ I smirked.

* * *

><p>Dinner was uneventful afterwards, and Blaise and Karessa had left shortly after Astoria did to ready themselves for Professor Slughorn's dinner gathering. For the first time in about three days, Blaise had went back to his own dorm instead of hers to get ready, while Karessa made her way to her own as per usual, but something caught her attention this time. She was one hall away from turning onto the one where her room would be when she thought she saw the tail ends of a person's robes turning down the corner. Curious as to what she saw, Karessa hastened her pace to hopefully catch up with her target, and upon turning onto the same corridor she was a little taken aback.<p>

"Bem?" the one word question had the Gryffindor in question freezing in his steps at entering another portrait hole five spaces down from her dorm entrance.

He looked startled to see her walking towards him. "Karessa?" he gave an uneasy laugh as he shifted from one foot to the other. "I didn't see you there, what are you up to?" he asked politely.

She stood in front of him and gave him a confused smiled. "Well, my dorm is on this floor." She said gesturing around them. "This is where the guest housing is after all, so what about you?"

"Oh, well right, that makes sense." He said shaking his head. "You see I live in a guest dorm house too." He said swinging his portrait hole door for emphasis.

Daniels gave him a puzzled look. "Really? I was told you've been attending Hogwarts for the last six years, I thought you'd have a room within Gryffindor tower then."

"I have, I just don't share a common room with the other boys."

"Oh, okay then." For a split second she wondered why that was, but put a clamp on her curiosity; if he felt like elaborating then he would have done so on his own. "Well, then I guess I'll see you in class tomorrow?" she asked walking backwards to her door.

"Uh, yeah, but you know, as neighbors and all I could see you down to breakfast every few mornings if you'd like." Bem offered.

"Oh that's sweet of you Bem, but I'm often an early riser so I'm usually long gone from my room before breakfast would even be served." She gave him an apologetic look, he waved his hand dismissively.

"Hey, I'll try my luck sometime anyway; I may catch you on an off day." He smiled. "So see you tomorrow in class."

"Right, tomorrow in class, see you there." She smiled back and watched him retreat into his room, then quickly made her way to her own to change out of her modified uniform for Slughorn's dinner meeting.

She had just left her room dressed and ready when Blaise stepped into her dorm through the door. He inspected her subtly as she stood in front of the new mirror she placed by the mantelpiece brushing out her hair. She looked both classy and casual in a dark blue, sleeveless blouse with pearl buttons and ruffles down the front, and with black muggle dress pants that flattered the soft curves of her legs. He had dressed casually as well with a black dress shirt and comfortable slacks to match, and he'd foregone his usual footwear to something a bit fancier and polished. He would have complimented her appearance but there were more important things on his mind at the moment, so he went right in with questioning her about what she'd been discussing with Dumbledore earlier in the day.

She dove in with her explanation while she clipped in some pearl studs earrings and a matching bracelet for her left wrist, as her usual silver chain with the ring dangled around her neck, while the only form of jewelry he had was a silver chain his mother gave him for his birthday a year ago.

He gave her a puzzled look. "So you mean to tell me there's a spy within Hogwarts, and they're after you?"

"That's right." She said calmly.

"So why didn't you tell me this earlier when we had that conversation over the weekend?" he said walking up to her and leaning against the wall where she looked herself over in the mirror, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her for a reaction.

"To be honest, I couldn't be sure whether there'd be anyone _purposely_ looking for me in the Wizarding world, since my problem are muggle-based." She gave him a look with a side glance. "Besides, I knew once I told you you'd get worked up over nothing."

"This isn't nothing, Karessa." He said pushing himself up and off the wall. "You're not just being watched or observed, you're being _hunted_ by these people who want you for their own reasons of power." He exclaimed.

"This isn't the first time this has happened to me, Blaise." She said firmly. Looking into the reflective surface to see her face clearly, he looked into her eyes and there, he saw the truth.

She let out a dejected sigh as she turned away from his searching eyes.

"I take it this is one of those reasons you told me about for why you never stay in one place for long then?" he said.

She shrugged. "One of them, yes." She felt his hand on her shoulder and she looked up into the mirror to catch his eye. "But like I told you, it's nothing, I've handled this before and I can do it again."

He chuckled slightly as he shook his head. "Why do I get the feeling this is the argument we'll be going over repetitively?" she laughed shortly.

"I can take care of myself. I've been doing it alone for years now."

"Well now you've got me, and you know I'm not letting you do this alone anymore." He said seriously.

She responded with a small smile barely grazing her lips as she held the hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, but I'm afraid you won't be much use to me until we get some of your training in." she said lightly.

Then just like that the slow tension in the room disappeared between them. He chuckled.

"Yes, we can't forget that, now can we?" he asked rhetorically. Next he frowned again. "So what do we do about this?"

She sighed again as she grabbed a clip to swoop her hair up and pin it at the back of her head with long bangs pulled out to frame her face. "For the time-being we can't do anything. We have too many potentials right now to shorten our list of names, unfortunately, so until this person slips up and reveal more about themselves, we can't wheedle out anyone." She moved past him to the portrait hole to grab on a pair of nice flats.

Blaise sighed heavily as he stroked a hand through his short locks, an old habit when he really felt his emotions under stress. "So all we can do is wait. This is sure going to fun."

They were both startled to hear the shattering of porcelain as they turned their heads sharply to see a vase explode into small pieces about the room. Karessa gave him a look as she straightened her posture.

"Not as fun as it's going to be waiting on your body to adjust to the new magic." She smirked and opened the entrance to the empty corridor.

Holding the door open for her Blaise rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, we'll be kept entertained with the target practice my magic will be performing." He said dryly as she walked out the door and he followed close behind. Walking down the hall in silence Karessa gave one last fleeting glance towards Bem's door as they passed it, but when Blaise caught her eye he gave her a questioning stare. She shook her head dismissively; he understood it was nothing for him to worry about, so he let it go.

But he didn't elaborate on noticing as she had that the door was slightly cracked open when they left her room.

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><p><strong>AN****: Well there you have it, I think I'm getting better with updating now, but then that also may have something to do with getting into the parts where I already know how I want this story to progress *shrugs :S* All the same REVIEW! THEY KEEP ME MOTIVATED! **


	11. High Stakes & Higher Prides: Game On

**A/N****: 06/20/12. I feel like I'm timing myself these days to see how quick I can get a new chapter up XP. **

**Special Thanks to **_**Halloween**__**Witch/ xXMizz Alec VolturiXx/ Nicky-Maree **_**for their awesome reviews! Now on with the chapter!**

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><p>The evening had turned out marvelously well for Blaise and Karessa.<p>

As they had thought, Professor Slughorn had made it back from his trip just in time for his little get together of potentials, and although the pair had come fashionably late it didn't put a hitch in how many of their fellow classmates were there. There were at least three other chairs left empty for late arrivals once they got there, and dinner had already been served, to their good fortune since it wasn't likely they'd be able to last all three courses of the meal Slughorn had planned.

It was no surprise to the two to see both Harry and Hermione present, but it was a shock to the two to see that neither Draco nor Theo had been invited, especially Malfoy since his father was once one of Slughorn's favorite students and an active participant in the Slug Club. Of course, Karessa hadn't any prior knowledge to that bit of information until Blaise had mentioned it in passing as they made their way to Slughorn's office; but if she remembered correctly about what Dumbledore told her about Horace Slughorn, it was that he indulged in being surrounded by people of power and success.

A man who took a back seat in control – so it didn't make much sense to her as to why he wouldn't take on Draco as he had once his father, who she heard was a very influential wizard.

Neville had been there as well, and he had been quite the gentleman when Daniels went about sitting beside him, he stood from his chair and pulled hers out for him. He was a bashful thing, still growing into his self-confidence, but she knew with a bit of support and a little encouragement he'd turn out to be something great. She smiled at the thought; all he needed was a push in the right direction, so she prompted him into talking with her most of the night, and she found him to be quite knowledgeable in the botanist department since he became most animate when talking about different types of plants in Herbology.

As conversation picked up and desert was well under way the youngest Weasley, Ginny was the name she heard Slughorn announce upon her entry, had claimed the last empty seat at the table. She had been two spaces away from Daniels and was in Harry's immediate line of vision for him to stare rather affectionately towards her, a way that in which was obvious enough for Hermione and Karessa to share a rather knowing and amused glance at one another. The redhead had proved to be quite an exuberant firecracker, the way she would rapidly fire question after question at Karessa without so much as hearing a proper answer, all the while maintaining a plastered smile across her face.

It was only at the point where her questions began to get very personal and a lot more hostile that both Harry and Blaise had stepped in. Looking back at the incident she still couldn't fathom why the girl disliked her so, since that was the official day she'd been introduced to the young red in the first place, and there was no mistaking that she was indeed hostile that night.

That had been about a week and a half ago, but it seemed anytime Daniels was around with Harry and/ or with any of the other Gryffindors who were talking to her, Ginny would always keep her mouth clamped shut and a steady glare reserved only for those short encounters. It seemed sometime that night ago or to their current third week of school, that possibly Harry, Blaise, Hermione, or a combination of all three had talked to Ginny about her bad attitude towards her and it seemed to have reined in some of the contempt for whenever Karessa made an appearance in their little group.

Luckily they never really clashed heads with one another, especially with Ginny being a whole other grade than the rest of the gang, so Daniels didn't see much of her, but still she wondered why the girl was so put out by her. It had only clicked in her mind when she realized the brunt of Ginny's anger and nastiness was only shown whenever Harry was involved, whether it be indirect or not; she could have slapped herself for her blindness at the situation. Ginny had shown her many times of her jealousy in conversations that the group presented as well as possessiveness and an accusing manner whenever Karessa would make an offhanded comment.

For some reason Ginny felt threatened by her.

The very thought made her laugh, she didn't have anything to worry about with her, although she understood the young girl's insecurity; Harry was a wonderful guy. He was handsome, kind, loyal, and had a very strong hero-complex, that it was hard for any other girl to not want to play the damsel in distress if only for him to come and save them – which he undoubtedly would. Though she could admit his attractiveness like most other boys of her year, Karessa could see the deep love he obviously held for Ginny and would never do something to break them apart, but Ginny was too blinded by her insecurity to see that clearly.

To see that she didn't need to try so hard to keep his attentions on her; she was doing that plenty fine without even trying.

Well now that she knew the cause for Ginny's contempt, she'd been looking for an opportunity to talk with her alone, but Ginny had made it near impossible for the muggle teen to catch her before she'd enter a class or retreat to some other place in the castle where she wouldn't be. Of course, she'd try again whenever she had the chance, but for the time being Karessa couldn't worry herself about another girl's self-doubting when she had troubles of her own to think about, as cruel as it sounded.

They were in their third week of school, on the Thursday of her first Self-Defense meeting to be exact, and the students were due to be excused from class shortly to make their way down into the borrowed classroom she had prepared for their first lesson. Beside this new class she had started Daniels had the spy within Hogwarts to think about as well as Blaise's training, and for some reason she couldn't concentrate much on either task when her thoughts were swimming around a certain grey-eyed dragon who had failed to be around much lately. Blaise had abated most of her questions as to where Draco may be, but she knew there was more to it, because even though Blaise didn't want her getting involved with what had occupied the blonde's time she could see the worry that lined Blaise's face anytime they talked about the young Malfoy.

She broke out of her troublesome thoughts as she heard the large doors clank open and the first few students who had signed up entered the medium sized room, each of them wearing the bright orange wrist bands their teachers gave them right before they were excused from class. Karessa smiled at the students as they made their way in, she had encourage earlier that morning for everyone attending to change into more comfortable clothes that they weren't afraid of getting ruined during the session, and they hadn't disappointed. Although there were a few people who didn't come prepared there were others who had heeded her words, mostly those who grew up in a muggle fashion, and wore old or baggy shirts where the girls wore something to tie up their hair and there was a multitude of shorts and sweatpants scattered among the crowd.

Daniels had worn black stretch fabric pants with a bright pink stripe down the outer part of her legs, a pink muggle tank top, and black running shoes, while she had worn black and pink fingerless training gloves, and there were at least four ribbons in the same color braided into her hair tied in a high ponytail. She had two bags sitting at her feet as she stood atop the platform moved to the opposite end of the classroom from the door as she surveyed the room. She had planned this lesson out thoroughly and the room was accustomed nicely to fit her needs, where she had thick foam mats placed over in three long sections from the stage to the door, and to the opposite sides of the walls were various…'training' objects spaced out like stations for the exercises she had placed there.

As more students piled in, some familiar faces started appearing as well. Although it was a given there would be an out winning amount of girls taking her program, there was still an impressionable amount of boys within the group. She gave a small smile when she noticed Neville slink his way into the class as discreetly as possible with Hannah Abbott, only to blush quite rosily with a bashful smile when she caught his eye and waved at him. Her favorite little 1st years Natalie and Kaity had showed up with at least seven new friends they had made tailing behind them, as well as a few shockers such as Lavender Brown, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Marcus Belby, Anthony Goldstein, Harper, and Tracey Davis. She wasn't so surprised to see, Theodore, Pansy, Millicent and Daphne slide into the class along with Blaise since they had told her they were coming last weekend when they went to Hogsmead together, but she had to do a double take when she saw Ginny saunter on in with Harry, Hermione, and Ron minutes before they would start.

Although she didn't think Ginny was completely genuine with her reasons for signing up for the club, she wouldn't draw attention to the girl unless she tried to disrupt the class.

Just as she finished the thought she observed Blaise make his way over to her side up on stage as he gave her a wide smirk. "So, what exactly is your plan, or are you just winging this as you go along?" he asked, giving her a side long glance.

She snorted as she gave him a look. "You really think I set this program up with no direction to follow?" she lifted one of the bags in her hand and smiled. "Please, I've got quite the lesson panned out for today."

He eyed the bag curiously as she dropped it back on the ground. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

She almost laughed at the disdainful look he was casting at the bag she held. Blaise was no doubt speaking from experience in his own training they had started only a few days ago, and although he was a fast learner, he still found himself flat on his arse or back every time she neutralized him in their sparring matches. But more often than not, she always found a new tool to bring out to teach him new maneuvers and hone – though he'd probably use words more like 'small torture' – onto his acquired skills.

And they were always coming from that bag.

"Now if I told you, it would ruin the fun." She said in a sing song voice and he laughed as she sat down on the edge of the stage, and watched as the main doors began to close.

That is until someone slipped in at the very last second before they slammed shut.

She couldn't believe it; after thinking about him for some time now and wondering where he'd ran off too, there he was brushing off his clothes of the invisible dirt and dust as he swaggered on up to stand beside Theodore and Harper in the horde.

Now what in the bloody hell was _**Draco Malfoy**_ doing in _**her**_ Self-Defense program?

* * *

><p>He <em>really<em> didn't want to be there right now.

Draco had spent the last week seriously thinking over Daniels deal to trade secrets, so to speak, and had taken the extra care to think on the matter alone without any disruptions and more importantly without her probing gaze set upon him. He'd gone through all the ups and downs and weighed his options on both sides and saw that this was a once and a life time offer she wasn't likely to give him again should he decline the first time, but he knew she wouldn't give this offer to anyone else, because for some odd reason he couldn't quite understand:

She wanted to get to know him.

That was a dangerous feat on its own and he wasn't sure how he felt about some muggle looking to get under his skin – too late – and uncover him for what he really was; he didn't know what she'd do with that type of information, but he'd already took a look at the risks and made his decision.

He was going to play her game.

The only immediate downside to this decision was the thought of having to stay in Daniels' high graces and use every opportunity there was to make sure he made as much an impression on her as other people would try to do. It was a rat race for almost every 7th year present in the classroom but it didn't matter since he had an advantage; and that was the curiosity she held for him.

He smirked to himself as he could feel her staring at him. It must have really surprised her to see him there standing in the gathering crowd around the stage, but his smirk slowly slid into a frown as he watched from the corner of his eye Nott make his way up on stage to stand by her side like Blaise had.

_What is that little bugger up to now?_ He thought frowning to himself as he watched Nott practically rape the girl's body with his eyes. Though grudgingly he'd have to admit she did look rather salacious with the amount of skin-tight fabric on her body.

"How disgusting." A feminine voice sneered from behind him.

"Do you mean the muggle?" He drawled as Pansy saddled up beside him. "I will agree that the outfit is quite the eye-catcher, but it's still rather tasteful." He said dragging his eyes across Daniels' form suggestively. Pansy scoffed.

"Oh, I don't give a _fig_ for what she's wearing, I'm talking about Theo." She said frowning distastefully.

Draco snorted.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing," he said with a lazy smile. "I just didn't know you cared."

"I don't!" She yelled a little too loud, gathering the attention to her.

Karessa gave her a puzzled look and Theo raised an eyebrow. Draco snickered silently as Pansy flushed in embarrassment and elbowed him in the gut.

Karessa stared at her for a moment before shaking her head in dismissal. "Alright then," she clapped her hands once. "So why don't we get started, and we should be out of here with enough time to change and make it to dinner."

"What exactly are you going to teach us?" one of Kaity and Natalie's friends asked out.

"Yeah, I wasn't really paying attention the first time you briefed us about this idea." Marcus Belby admitted, a few people muttered their agreement.

"Well basically I'll be teaching you all Self-Defense, and before anyone says anything, I will remind you that this is nothing quite like your Defense Against the Dark Arts class." The few hands up instantly went down. "In fact, you won't even really be using your wands in this program," she smiled as there were a few gasps as people began muttering to one another. "The only tools you'll need are your arms and legs."

"Well now that's just bloody ridiculous." Everyone turned to the owner of the condescending tone, and sure enough the voice belonged to the ever amused Malfoy.

He made his way closer to the stage as the crowd parted for him. "What exactly is the use of teaching us defense without our wands when that is our greatest weapon?"

She stepped closer to the edge of the stage and smiled down at him. "Are you challenging my program, Mr. Malfoy?"

He chuckled amusedly as he stopped to stand in the center of the crowd, not quite in reach of the stage. "I'm merely challenging the need for it as someone who _wouldn't_ need it, because there are those who have better knowledge in the dueling department and with the exponential spells out there at their fingertips, so they'd never have to sully their hands of a physical fight." He said pompously, some of the more skeptic people agreed to this point.

"Oh that is a load of –!"

"Truth, Hermione." Karessa said gently as she gave the enraged Gryffindor a calming smile. She directed her words to the dumbstruck group now. "What Mr. Malfoy says is true; any wizard with exceptional dueling skills and knowledge of helpful spells should never have to – no, never have a _need_ to bring themselves down to the level of a physical fight." A few people gave their wholehearted agreement while others looked among each other in confusion.

Draco gave her a scrutinizing look, but all else seemed amused with a smirk plastered on his face. An odd smile came upon Daniels' face as she planted her feet firmly in place, with every muscle in her body tensed and she stared down at him. Pansy, Blaise and Daphne were the only ones aware of what was to come.

Pansy put her hand over her eyes.

She shook her head at Draco in a hopeless fashion. "Idiot." She muttered, he gave her a confused look and she looked up at him, her expression one of pity for what he could not understand. "Now you've done it."

Now the students were looking at the pair curiously. Draco frowned at her.

"And exactly what have I done?" he asked arrogantly.

"You've offered to demonstrate how good your dueling abilities are." Karessa said as she planted her hands on her hip. She hadn't taken her eyes off him through the exchange and that smile she had widened. "So go on; hit me with your best offensive spell."

There was a multitude of shocked faces on the students as they all looked at her with something akin to horror – excluding Pansy, Daphne and Blaise, the later tensing beside her as he clenched his jaw shut trying not to undercut her proposal or get in the way of her point. He knew where this was going, and even if he didn't like the possibilities he trusted her enough to go forth with her idea, and he sent that message to Harry as he was fixing to also say something against her decision.

For that she was grateful, but she'd have to tell him later because she was still waiting on Draco.

However he was still dumbstruck from the request.

"Ex-_excuse_ me?" he said incredulously as he stared up at her with his brow scrunched down. "Are you bloody mad, or are you looking for some ammunition to give to the Headmaster, I'm not going to just attack you." He said firmly.

"This has nothing to do with the Headmaster's ruling of how you are to treat me within the school for being unarmed, this is my program, there are no teachers, and the room has been spelled to keep any of you from talking about the extent in which or what we practice in here." She said back. "So tell me why else you refuse to attack me."

"You are unarmed." He gritted through his teeth.

"If you mean that I do not carry a wand it would be very useless in this factor, seeing as I am unable to use one to begin with, and you don't honestly expect me to believe that you," she then drew her gaze to the whole of the public, "that _any_ of you would or have drawn your wand on someone who didn't already have there's out prior?" No one confirmed her accusations nor denied them.

"But that is different in comparison to you, you're –" Draco began to defend.

"A muggle, so we've established; but that only brings question as to why you are hesitating now, then." She looked down at Malfoy again. "I have no doubts you've been raised properly to be a gentleman, but as I've heard and seen that only extends to those not of muggle background." She lifted her hand quickly to halt Blaise from intervening as she knew he'd try once the people started getting anxious with this new line of discussion.

"Who are you to judge me?!" Malfoy barked with a menacing look in his eye. "You don't know me –"

"And yet I could say the very same thing to you and you'd still use the same logic to demean me as a lesser being _**because of what someone told you**_." She stated calmly. "As such you shouldn't even think about hesitating to attack, when you should want nothing more than to kill me."

"You've got some galls to talk to me like that." He said viciously.

"But tell me I'm wrong." She dared.

The crowd went hushed and Draco seethed quietly to himself as he stared at her hatefully. Blaise was tensed for anything now as Karessa continued to stare down at him.

"However, should it be because I am also a woman that makes you pause, let me remind you that it won't matter what sex your opponent is in a real fight." Her tone lightened now. "They will attack if given the opportunity should good manners be what hold you back."

"I am well aware of that." He bit out.

"Then don't try me with anymore excuses, I've given you an invitation so I implore you to take it." She stood her ground. "So I'll tell you one more time; hit me with your best shot."

Then unlike the first time, his reaction was immediate as he spoke out fiercely.

"_Everte Statum!_"

A few people screamed as the spell zoomed past them to make a hit for its aimed target, it was sure to be a direct hit.

…Only it missed its mark.

Daniels had already been anticipating the attack and reacted as such before Malfoy even had the time to finish the spell she sprung up and forward into the air, flipping to get more distance, then sliding into a standing position at his side. The spell had hit the stage when Draco turned shocked eyes to her person, but before he could change his stance to face her she struck her hand out quickly, shooting his wand up in the air. Next she grabbed that arm and twisted it painfully up once she spun behind his back and jerked him closer, and finally ending the position with her right knee pressing sharply into his lower back to bend him forward as his right hand was vertically pinned between them, and her left arm had his fully extended back as she trapped it in the crook of her elbow.

In her hand she pointed his wand into the back of his neck.

It took a moment for everyone to wrap their heads around what they had just witnessed and the tension in the room had slightly increased as some of the skeptics saw exactly how serious she was about this program as Malfoy grunted in frustration and discomfort.

"Tell me, Mr. Malfoy, you consider yourself a good wizard with exceptional dueling skills, yet somehow without a wand, how is it I've still managed to disarm you." Karessa whispered close to his ear.

Despite the humiliating position she'd put him in he could feel his body reacting to the heat of her own pressing up against him. As her breath cascaded across his skin, and her lips caressed the shell of his ear in a deceivingly intimate gesture he despised her for causing a reaction out of him in front of so many witnesses. But he despised himself more for being so distracted by her closeness that he couldn't properly recognize that she'd spoken to him just then.

It was only when she brushed her lips unnecessarily down the side of his neck – where no one would think any less than it was an accident that she touched him anymore than she meant – as she moved her head away from him and he shuddered at the contact that he realized she was toying with him now.

His only acknowledgement that he'd heard her speak was a small grunt.

She addressed the other participants in a calm and clear manner. "Now, you see, that way of thinking is _exactly_ why I'll be teaching you these things." She drafted a rather cold look that had everyone shrinking away from it or shifting their weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

She jerked Draco up into a standing position as she moved her knee from his back before adding a little force to make him move forward as she walked him slowly to the stage, the crowd parted for her now.

"You see you all rely so heavily on your wands that once you are without them, you are left helpless." She said, the look on her face matched the new tone she was using, and it was such a startling contrast to her outer demeanor that it held every person's attention in the room.

She stopped at the foot of the stage and sharply turned to face the mass of listeners she had enthralled. She tapped Malfoy's wand on his shoulder as she scanned the people. "A weapon; some of you may say your wand is this, but let me clarify with you now while you're all still young enough to perceive the message – it's not."

Then without warning she pushed Malfoy away from her roughly, but he caught his footing in time before he'd make a complete arse out of himself and turned to give her a scathing glare.

Many of the boys began snickering and she shot down their laughter immediately with a disdainful glance. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you, 'cause your turn is sure to come; and it could be worse." She said.

She looked back at him, staring him head on and matched his in intensity with how calm and calculative she was being now.

After all she still held his wand.

"You think your wand is a weapon but its not." she repeated strongly as she stared into Draco's eyes, but directed her speech to everyone. "Your greatest weapon is your body and your best defense is your mind. Your wands are only an extension of that – a tool is all they really are, because let's face facts..." she walked up to the cold blonde staring her down and preened at seeing him tense when she stood before him.

It meant he was learning.

"They would never have allowed children to brandish such a thing or attend a school where such a tool was permitted on the premises." She outstretched the hand with his wand in it.

He gave her one final glare before snatching the offer from her grasp, in case she'd change her mind, so he told himself.

All was silent. No one said anything or made a sound as they all slowly digested her words in their own way, some got it while others lacked in pace, but it was clear on all their faces that she was getting through to them in some bit.

_A start…_she thought, hiding a smile to herself._ That's all I really needed._

Saving the hopeful thinking for a later date she clapped her hands again to get their attention as she turned back to the stage, Theo and Blaise gripping her hands and hauling her back onto the platform where she turned back to face the others.

"Now listen up everybody, because I'm only going to say this once." Karessa cast her eyes around the room at the several occupants. She placed her hands on her hips.

Her eyes lingered a little longer on Draco.

"I am in no way delusional to think that all of you came here with the actual intent of learning from me." She raised her hand to halt anyone's attempt to deny her claim. "It does not bother me in the least, I know many of you were just curious to see what this was all about, and I am well aware of those who actually had every interest in doing this program because they wanted to." She smiled down at Natalie and Kaity.

She addressed them all again. "You came out of curiosity and I will do what I can to please it." She walked the length of the stage and back again. "My program, as I've said before is about learning how to defend yourselves, even when an enemy would see you as defenseless. But it is a lot more than that."

That statement had peaked a lot of people's interest, she smiled.

"This isn't just a defense course; because I'll not only be teaching you defense, but offense – how to strike back and take down an enemy, and all with the use of your body." She said so passionately that it drew the crowd in. "You've been trained how to memorize and actively use spells on command, but I'm going to show you that – as a tool – your wands aren't the only things you could use as an objective 'weapon'." She said turning away from them.

While what she said confused them, it only worsened once she bent over to pick up one of the bags she carried with her, and turned it upside down to let all its contents slip out onto the ground. They were regular household objects like keys, quills & ink wells, bags of candy, belts, silverware, wooden plates, and even a few joke shop items.

They all looked to Daniels for guidance.

"Without your wands you'd be left without an immediate weapon which means you'd have to use whatever was at your disposal to protect yourselves, and I will teach you the best way to go about using them." She said with a smirk on her face.

"So you're teaching us how _not_ to use our wands? Well there goes seven years down the drain." Ginny stated spitefully bold. Harry nudged her elbow and she gave him a dark look.

"This is not about learning how to neglect your wands; it is about knowing that once you've been backed up into a corner _without_ your wand to aid you, there are always other options." Karessa stated, walking the stage again. "I know even after this explanation some of you will still doubt me, so just so we're clear, none of you are required to stay here once you've signed up; I won't stop you from leaving, but should you choose to stay I need you all to know that this won't be particularly easy." She stopped pacing and gave them all a considerate look and she smiled.

"You're going to be tossed to the ground – a _lot_." She finished.

The doors opened up once more and the people waited. At least fifteen people walked out a short second after, out of the group two of Kaity and Natalie's friends, Justin and Lavender, and as expected Ginny, who left rather haughtily at that. From her position on the stage Karessa could see Neville struggling with himself on whether he was going to leave or not as he kept fidgeting on the spot, but eventually something in him won out because he had a sudden look of determination came upon his face and he held his ground.

She couldn't help but feel a little proud for him.

She gave them all another chance to leave. Her eyes connected with cold silver. "Anyone else want to leave, they are welcome, but should anyone change their mind they are always welcome back." She said calling out to those who had walked out the door.

The doors closed once again and Daniels smiled at the ones who stayed, her normal Brightside demeanor back in place.

"Now that I've given you an overall introduction to this course," she picked up the second bag and dumped out its contents, "Why don't we get started?"

* * *

><p>Karessa had everyone introduce themselves officially to her so she could remember their names, then under her order, they were to hand their wands over to Blaise – which was seen with a little resistance – to keep people from being tempted in using them or getting them damaged in the seeable future. Next they were directed to certain stations around the room depending on size, weight, and a judge of their physical strength measured by Theodore. No one understood why Theo was being so helpful to the muggle teen but none of them cared enough to question it.<p>

Well, except for maybe Draco.

The young Malfoy heir had been brooding at first about the whole getting-beat-down-by-a-muggle-girl thing, but in truth he had gotten over the small spectacle a while in the girl's speech about what they'd actually be doing in the class. If he had to be honest he found what she had planned for the lot of them to be a subject of interest with him, something he didn't feel at first upon entering the premises, but now this class looked to prove as a great new outlet for his anger and stress that had been building since before the school year began. As he made his way to his designated station he caught Nott gazing over at Daniels as he unabashedly undressed her with his eyes like Pansy had noticed from the beginning.

_It'd be better if I could have a few goes at punching that look off the git's face. _Draco sneered openly at the other male. _No fucking shame the bloody oaf has there._

He scoffed derisively and caught Nott's attention. The other boy had the nerve to smirk at him before diverting his attention back onto the subject of his appraising gaze when she walked up to talk to him shortly. Draco watched Blaise sidle up to the two and gave Theo a wary look, which made him think that Blaise knew something of what the tall brunette's intentions were to the muggle girl.

_How curious…_Draco thought.

Before he could deliberate anymore on his thoughts Daniels had announced that she'd make her way along with Blaise around to the groups and explain what their stations were made for. At first it was confusing to see one of the dueling club's old dummies standing before them with a target board behind it and a box of quills by their feet, but when she found her way to his group she had explained to them their task and it all became clear. They were to use the dummy as target practice, but they were mostly working on their aim, and to do that they had the quills; however, the trick was not to aim for the dummy itself, but the shirt someone had pulled over it.

"I want you to concentrate on _**pinning**_ the dummy to the wall behind it, not hitting it." She had said. "This is to put both your agility and the strength within your arms to use since you need enough force to push the dummy back, and the precision to pin the body in place."

She had pointed out the certain sections of the body that mattered most for pinning like the forearms and thighs, and as they got started she gave them all a devious smile before they lined up for turns. "As your precision grows more defined you'll all have real and moving targets to look forward to practicing on next." She'd said getting everyone more excited once she'd left them to their own devices for a while.

Time flew by quite fast for the eager students, and reluctantly students began putting away their intended props for their exercise stations, picked up their wands, and were making their way to the door as they opened up again once the school bell rang to indicate the end of classes.

"Just a moment everyone," Karessa halted their retreat. "I've got one last thing to show you before you all head down to dinner." She smiled gleefully as they gathered before her standing on the middle mat lain out on the floor.

"Now what's this all about, prof?" Anthony said amusedly.

"This is about a demonstration, Mr. Goldstein." She quipped back. "But first, I'll need a volunteer from each exercise station to come up and pick a card from my hand." She waved a palm-sized stack of cards in her hand, before spreading them out face down from the students so they could only see an empty back design on it.

"What are those for?" Daphne asked just as confused as the others as she went up as a representative and picked a card.

"Well you've all worked so hard today, and since I've only introduced you to practice dummies I thought it would be a nice treat to see what your ending results could look like with a demonstration." Daniels smiled as her eyes twinkled like the stars they were shaped out to be. "But in order to choose which group exercise I'll demonstrate, we're going to do it based on these cards."

"So how does this work." Harper asked as he was the last one to pick a card.

Daniels shuffled the deck back into order before pointing to one of the stations. "You see there are 13 exercise stations drafted around the room. For your warm ups, you'll each get a turn in trying out other stations, but keep in mind you'll maintain the consistency of being grouped with the same people based on your size, strength, and weight." She held up the deck for everyone to see. "These here are regular muggle playing cards, so there is no enchantment on them in case someone thinks of cheating." She gave them all a stern look before continuing with her explanation. "Now turn your cards over."

All thirteen representatives flipped their cards to see either a number or a letter with a different suit on the face of the card.

"Now if you would look again at any one of the stations you will see either a number or a letter above where each station was placed." She said, pointing to one station where it had the number "6" printed overtop of it on the wall. "These represent the cards in the deck, as there are thirteen posts as well as thirteen different cards to choose from in the deck. For those of you who don't know, there are 52 cards in the deck with 4 suits – hearts, clovers, spades, and diamonds – and like I said, 13 families starting with Ace, King, Queen, and Jack, then working its way from 10 – 2." She said playing with the cards in her hands.

"So with 52 cards to choose from, we're going to go about voting based on which card comes up the most?" Pansy guessed.

"That's right." Karessa smiled. "For since there are four suits, each family will only have four cards, so depending on which card has the majority will decide whose group gets their demo." She looked over everyone's cards. "It looks like section 9 won out today." She smiled and the people handed back their cards.

They then moved to circle around Karessa as she glanced over section 9.

"Alright, so what I had in that exercise dealt with ribbons, bands, and necklace chains." Many of the boys gave her a skeptical look; they weren't too enthused with what won out. She laughed at some of their disgruntled faces. "Don't worry boys, I didn't particularly thought you'd need this – it was more for the girls in this case, but basically I had the group work on tying fast and strong knots as well as different chokeholds – something I won't be putting in the demonstration." She said quickly before people got ideas. If only to prove her theory many of the boys groaned. She laughed.

"Well then what could these accessories possibly be used for if you're not going to show us how to choke someone?" Harper asked exasperatedly.

"Well, I did have them practice choke-backs with the chains and bands," she started as she began undoing one of the ribbons in her hair without completely pulling it out. "But foremost the ribbons were meant to practice agility in tying a knot." She said.

Harper looked confused. "In case of tying someone up you mean?" he asked.

"Precisely," she smiled. "And I'm going to show you how to use it effectively when you need to be quick on your feet." She looked through the crowd. "But first I'm going to need you all to back up to either side of me instead of a circle, if you please."

They moved quickly and quietly as they watched her stretch her arms out and flex her shoulders back before gesturing to the crowd. "Now who better to help me present the fascination with a quick knot, than Nott himself?" She smiled a cat's grin to the young man as he sauntered on in between the surrounding occupants to stand a small distance away from Karessa and faced her with an opposing grin as he spun his wand between his nimble fingers.

The group was baffled.

"Watch carefully now, everyone." She called out to them as she took a stance. "Count it down from 3 someone."

"Hope you're ready for this, love." Theo grinned.

"Oh, I don't think you should be worrying too tough about me; I'll be fine." She smirked. Theo readied his wand.

Someone yelled out 'GO!' and the two went at each other without hesitation.

Theo had started with a series of spells that would try and stun her back, or stick her in place, but Karessa was moving so fast, as she darted in and out of his range and pushed forward until she caught him by the hand and twisted his wand out of the firm grip he supposedly had. Next she used the distraction of his pain to pull her ribbon from her hair and quickly looped it around the wrist she held, then yanking the ribbon back she pulled his arm out forward along with the top half of his body as he planted his feet, trying to resist her. She wouldn't stand for that so she took advantage of his vulnerable position when he tried to grab her with his other arm and kneed him in the gut.

As he doubled over she spun to stand behind him with the captured wrist so it pulled back, but before he could recover Karessa kicked her right foot out to buckle his right knee, and he bent down on one knee to the ground. Nott attempted to take her by surprise and used some of his strength to pull his captive arm forward, while at the same time bring his other back in hopes of catching her by the waist to throw her over his shoulder.

But Daniels compensated for this maneuver.

Expecting him to try to break out of her hold she brought the heel of her right foot up again and pressed down hard onto his spine as she tugged back on his arm again. That tripped him up enough to miss his shot at grabbing her blindly from her placement, and for her to bring her foot up again and cross it over to slam hard over his left wrist, pinning it to the floor as she felt him trying to get back to his feet. With her right foot crossed over to pin his other hand, the crowd watched her use that foot to pivot her body around in a full 360, bringing her left leg over Theo's head before landing it on the ground to stand at his left flank.

She then went about crippling the left knee so Nott was down on both knees now.

Letting loose the other end of the ribbon to fall to the floor she temporarily stepped off his hand so she could use her foot to wind the ribbon end around his wrist, then she curled it around her ankle and pulled her foot back. Both wrists restrained back, she picked the ribbon up from off her ankle as Nott tried once again to stand and pressed the heel of her foot down hard on the back of his neck to keep him bowed over.

He hissed in pain and the others watching sympathized with him.

"You see this, everyone, is a good way to hold your opponent down, by pushing down on the most vulnerable place of their body – which doesn't necessarily mean the neck, it could also be an injured part to the body, just so long as the pain distracts them." She said pulling on the ribbons again to pull Theo's arms back as his head pressed forward and he groaned in pain again. "However keep in mind that this works a lot better if your opponent matches or is at least close to your own weight, if not lighter so you won't have to deal with a hard struggle." She said as they watched Nott wrestle with his restraints.

She looked up at the class. "In the case that they outmatch you in strength, your safest bet is to tie them down instead." She wrapped the ribbon she held in her left around her forearm so her hand was free to assist the right in tying Nott's right hand in a knot, then slid her left foot between his legs to kick out his left, causing him to topple over on his right side. With him now on the floor she could move quick enough to tie the shortened end of the ribbon to his left ankle, and then she stood and moved away from him to watch with the crowd as Theo tried getting up.

Only to not be able to stand so long as the ribbon prohibited him from standing to full height with the short movement space she gave him from the ribbon.

"That there is the _flamingo_." She presented to her awestruck audience. She smiled down at Theodore as he struggled. "It's most effective with the arm tied back, as is with the opposite leg to restrict movement on a short line; they won't be able to untie themselves with the awkward position."

Some people moved in closer to get a better look at the tie while others stood back just to get a good laugh as Nott continued his struggles a little while longer. Moments later he gave up with a disgruntled huff.

"So, you'll teach us how to move like that?" Little Kaity asked eagerly.

Karessa looked down at the motionless Theo and gave Kaity a bewildered look. "Well I could, but I'm sure Theodore could teach you how to move like that a lot better than I could." She gave the girl a teasing smile and the students laughed.

"No, I meant what you did." Kaity giggled. "You moved so fast and you didn't even think about it." She said excitedly.

"Well, actually, I did think about it. It is one of the most important things you need to do before ever making a move against an opponent." Karessa said. "But like learning new spells, you need to remember what you've been taught so that you are ready to use it when you need it most – it'll all come naturally."

"So you'll teach us?"

"It'll take some practice, but in time, I will."

"You've been doing this for a long time." The room was silent when everyone turned to Draco Malfoy, leaning off of the open door, as he stared Daniels down. He'd stated it as a fact, not a question, which many of the older participants took note of.

"Since I was a child; maybe about six or eight." She responded.

"You've used these methods in real situations." Another statement, yet she felt she had to confirm it.

"Yes."

He pushed off to stand properly as he gave her a meaningful look; he'd been building up to this point after watching her demonstration, and just from watching her, he _knew_. He'd heard it in her voice during the first time, but he was on the receiving end of her silent fury so he couldn't be sure when her face was out of his view, but this time with Theo…Draco could see _**it**_ in her eyes.

So this time, he asked her as a question. "How many times?" he asked.

The students all turned to her expectantly.

Her eyes darkened as if lost in memory and she gave him a waned smile. "More than I'd wish to remember." Karessa answered solemnly.

Her ghostly reply had unsettled the older students as they looked to one another for answers on where to go with the little information they'd just been given. Draco left shortly after hearing her reply, whatever his thoughts were on what she said kept with himself on his departure. Blaise touched her shoulder as she just stared blankly at the empty doorway, breaking her out of her sad reflections.

"That'll be all for today, everyone." She said distractedly as she bent and untied Nott from his binds, and helped him to his feet. "We'll pick up where we left off on Saturday, after lunch around noon." She gave Theo back his wand, and after some short goodbyes everyone filed out of the classroom to go down for their dinner, some talking animatedly about how interesting the first meeting turned out to be.

The doors closed and all was silent in the empty classroom.

"You can go without me, Blaise, I'll be fine." He walked around to stand in front of her.

"I can also stay if you need me." He said firmly.

She smiled. "This isn't about me trying to be strong right now; I just want to gather my thoughts a moment." She said picking up the fallen ribbon and wrapping it around one of her fists.

He waved his wand and all their equipment flew back into the two bags she'd brought, while everything else stayed where it was placed; they'd either be put away later or be left as was for when the next meeting would take place everything would already be set up.

Blaise gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure?" she surprised him when she brought her hand up to his cheek. It was moments like these when they both questioned what the other was to them; whether they were just friends or was it something more…

"You can't protect me from my own demons, Blaise." Her smile was one of adoration as she took her hand off his cheek. "Though I know you'd try."

They shared a chuckle, and it did wonders to lighten the mood again.

Blaise picked up both bags for her. "Then I'll meet you down for dinner, and I'll drop these off in your room before I go." He said as he walked off.

"Alright, I'll meet you down in a bit." She said waving him off.

Looking around the room once she checked to make sure nothing important had been left behind either by Blaise or any of the other students. Satisfied with finding nothing she walked to the doors as they opened once again so she could take her leave, shutting the lights off she walked out the doors as they began closing a final time…then promptly got slammed into the wall just next to the doors, knocking the wind from her lungs.

Dark silver swam into her view as a figure loomed over her.

She held still as his hands gripped her arms roughly. "I figured you'd be waiting for me." She gasped out, staring up at him.

"You didn't fight me that time." He accused, frustrated for a reason she didn't know.

"I knew it was you." He shook her harshly. "I also knew you'd want a little gratification in getting back at me." He moved over to her ear and she shuddered lightly at the hot breath ghosting over her skin.

"That was a nasty stunt you pulled." He hissed lowly to her.

"I don't know what you mean." He brought a hand up to her neck and added slight pressure to her windpipes in warning. She stared at him blankly as he moved back from her. "Does it help if I apologize?"

"Oh, we'll see how cheeky you feel once I've reported you to the Ministry." He said heatedly as he squeezed her throat more forcefully. "They'll send your precious _Grandfather_ to Azkaban to have his soul sucked out by a dementor, and they'll probably use you for lab experiments, what with those strange eyes of yours I wouldn't put it past them to cut you open and take a long look inside." He gave her a nasty grin. "That is if you're lucky of course."

She stayed oddly calm as she gave him an unnerving calculative look. "You wouldn't do it." She stated.

"Of course I would." He growled. How dare the bint question his motives like that?

She shook her head, an amused look in her eye. "If that were the case you would have done so a while ago instead of telling me." She leaned conspiratorially towards him as she whispered. "Besides, we both know you're only mad at the fact that I'm a muggle and you're a pureblood, and I beat you down without breaking a sweat."

"You insolent little wench!" he grit through his teeth.

"Am I wrong?" she challenged.

Of course she was right in a sense. He was only mad at her for embarrassing him in front of so many people, not for the act itself.

He was actually quite impressed.

It took a lot of galls for anyone to oppose him, either due to his influence or based on his father and the power his name held, people found him naturally intimidating. The only ones who could really stand up to him was the Great bloody Golden Trio, and they were really nothing to him, but here was this slip of a girl who was supposed to mean even less than nothing to him, yet she'd somehow found a permanent home under his skin.

He didn't respond. He didn't move, he didn't do anything but stand there staring at her like she was the 7th wonder of the world. The only part of him that showed any sign of movement was his eyes, shift every so often about her face, no doubt pulling her apart with his eyes to see if he could find what makes her tick. Maybe then he'd know how to deal with her, if he knew what she was about he could cast her off like any of the other people he'd come into contact with once he found a category to put her under. But he'd deny himself the thought that no matter what he'd discover of her, there was no cataloguing her into a group. She was simply different; something that couldn't be categorized in any other way but its own.

She was special, and he'd loath to ever admit it.

As Draco moved his hand away from Karessa's throat he started focusing his attention to just looking at her now. She really was beautiful; he could credit her that despite her blood, with sparkling exotic eyes, strong regal features, and generously plump lips. It was when he caught himself staring that he realized how close they really were. Between slamming her into the wall and invading her personal space, Draco found himself almost completely pressed against her. They were so close to one another that he had her practically straddling the leg he pressed between her thighs.

He could _feel_ her.

He could feel the heat seeping from her body and into his larger form that it warmed the blood in his veins and made him feel he needed to be closer. He could smell the sweet scent of her perfume and the tang of sweat on her skin, but there was another faint scent upon her and it shocked him to realize the smell was his cologne. It was intoxicating; like he was marking her as his possession, and the thought strangely comforted him.

But among everything else, he could feel the most when she breathed.

Feeling her body trapped between his gave Draco a little thrill despite knowing now she could break free should she need to. He liked the thought of being able to control her; liked the thought of keeping her pinned to him, feeling her breasts push against his chest each time she took a breath, as the air rushed in and out of her parted lips – those deliciously inviting lips.

Staring at her lips he had the sudden urge to kiss her, and was moving in before he could properly comprehend what he was thinking. He was dead set in doing so too until the point he was a hair's breath away from his desire when a loud crash sounded from down the hall. He snapped his head back while pulling out his wand, ready to _Obliviate_ the dense sap who interrupted them, only to see Mrs. Norris trotting down the hall they were in as she left a fallen suit of armor in her wake. He watched the cat a moment longer with a sneer on his face before turning back to see Daniels just staring at him as blankly as she had before. The thought of what he was doing, and who he was with washed over him like a bucket of ice water being thrown on him in the cold of winter, and he backed off of her, but without really leaving her personal space.

She continued to stare at him and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" she asked, scrunching her brow.

"Don't play with me _**muggle**_." He sneered. "I've seen it now; that little puzzle piece that you won't show anyone else. I want to know why you didn't break my hold of you when you bloody well could have whenever you wanted to."

She was silent a moment as she studied his features. He was about to ask her again when she finally answered him with a question of her own. "Is it so hard to believe that maybe I'm putting some of my trust in you?"

He was shocked at her words, though he didn't show it. "Then that makes you an idiot for trusting me."

"Why?"

Oh how a simple question can be given so many answers. "I could deceive you at every turn, I could use you in the worst way and laugh as I tear you apart," he took a threatening step towards her. "But most of all because your breed disgusts me. I could kill you and feel only regret at not making you suffer for desecrating the land with your filth."

Strangely she began to laugh. "I never said I trusted you." She smiled up at him. "I was merely asking whether it was such a hard feat for me, or anyone, to trust you." She tilted her head at him. "I don't even think you trust yourself."

He didn't know how to respond to that so he didn't.

"So you've chosen to take my deal."

"I never said I did." He said.

"Never said you didn't." she brushed past him then. "But keep in mind you wouldn't be here if you didn't." She looked back at him with a bold smirk on her face. "So don't waste my time; I've got more important things to do than switch useless dialogue with you all night." Then with her parting word she left him standing in the empty hall alone with his thoughts.

He thought about the deal, he thought about his plan, but more pressingly he thought about that kiss they almost shared. What was he thinking, and it wasn't even like she baited him – he'd pressed her against the wall. He initiated everything and all he could fault her for was…was…

_Responding…_ Was the response his brain filled in for him.

She reacted to every little thing he did and she never made a move to stop him. She had wanted him to kiss her as much as he did in that moment, and who knows where it could have gone from there. He licked his lips at the thought and then he remembered her parting words and his eyes narrowed.

He frowned. _Did she just tell me I was a waste of time?_ Instead of getting upset at the implication Draco just chuckled to himself as he stared off into the direction she had disappeared in. He shook his head bewilderedly.

_So there's a backbone beneath all that soft skin…_he mused to himself. He smirked. _A whole other side to that one and she's been hiding it all behind a smile…_ He strolled off with a self-serving smile on his face, a change in his original plan already rolling in his mind. He was going to have her if it was the last thing he did.

Then he was going to break her.

"Looks like things are about to get a lot more interesting." He said to himself, finishing his prior thought.

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><p><strong>AN****: Damn, I missed my mark by like an hour, bloody Fanfiction being down for construction on me XS. Ah well! Still got this up in good time, now onto the next! :D**


	12. Fanning the Flames & Battles of Business

**A/N****: 07/31/12. WoooH! My Reviewers are AWEEEESOMMEEE! XD**

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><p><em>Red, orange, and yellow.<em>

_It was strange to see such bright color dancing behind her lids instead of the ever-present blackness that occurred when one is asleep, and yet that's all she saw, the intensity set light into her closed eyes and chased away the darkness of her mind as she drifted unknowingly into consciousness. It always happened the same; her mind would tell her that she is awakening and as her eyes flickered beneath the lashes that shielded them, in that moment between awake and asleep, her other senses would be heightened in her semi-aware state._

_The first to come was the __**smell**__._

_Smoke; a thick black scent that clung onto the air, making it sting her nose and burn her lungs as the black smog entered her system while it engulfed her entire being. Copper; the rusty heady tang that could be both smelt and tasted, and it was strongest in the black smolder. It was heavy in the air, just as the unpleasant smell of charred meat drifted in her senses. Copper, meat, and smoke; why would the cook be up this late? Should there be a feast tomorrow night? _

_The __**taste**__._

_For every inhale of air she took in, it wasn't only the smoke that came in, but cinders as well. It wasn't pork or even chicken, so did that mean the cook wasn't up? With another inhale the taste became clearer. It wasn't food in the air; it was more like dwindling embers of wooden houses, the frames and material of books, portraits, and furniture, all turned into the ashen flakes that now landed on her tongue. The hard labor of the townspeople from building their lives up from the ground, their businesses, and their fear, all melted together in those flecks of hot ash she now swallowed, and it confused her sluggish mind._

_She concentrated on __**sound**__._

_Voices; muffled voices coming from just outside the room – no, that's wrong; they were also coming in through the window. A large thump a dull crash could be heard, and there was a hurry of movement too – running. Through the long halls outside the door, the crashing continued, the flurry of voices…it sounded like an argument of some sorts, but then the undeniable squeak of the door changed that assumption as it creaked open. Screaming; there were people screaming, and yelling, but what it was she could not tell as another loud crash hit somewhere unknown and shook the room she was in. It wasn't just angry voices she heard now, but crying as well as panic. _

_There was so much panic…_

_Her sense of __**feeling**__ kicked in now; it was always last one before she could truly wake up. With it she felt her heart accelerate its beating within her chest and she didn't know why. A terrifying thought crossed her mind, but in an instant it was gone before she could process it. She could feel the smooth sheets of her bed and the pillows she rested her head on but felt no comfort in it. She felt the vibrations and hum of noise that surrounded her still body and wondered why it frightened her each time the sounds got closer to her door…but out of all these, it was the heat that unnerved her most._

_A searing heat; like that of __**fire**__._

_Red, orange, and yellow…_

_It was only then that she was able to open her eyes._

* * *

><p>Gasping awake, Karessa was a little unsettled as she lay clutching her pillow tightly in bed as the morning sun warmed her skin, momentarily blinding her bright eyes. For the longest moment she laid there trying to get her bearings to remember where she was, then breathed deeply three times to help calm her nerves after realizing she was in her dormitory in Hogwarts.<p>

_Far away_ from the muggle world she used to call home.

_Breathe. _She told herself as she took in a shaky breath. _Just breathe…It was only a nightmare, nothing new to you, always the same…always the same._

Slowly, moving on shaking hands, she sat herself up in bed as the cool sheets pooled around her naked waist. Waiting for her heart to slow its rapid beats to her ribcage, Karessa stroked a sweaty hand through her bed tousled hair while she screwed her eyes shut, thinking back on her dream.

_Even if it's always the same, it doesn't make it any easier._ She thought as she glanced back to the window with the sun gleaming in on her. _Red, orange and yellow…strange how even though I know now what it meant, my dreams never seem to correct themselves for what it was…_

Sighing, she had finally caught her bearings and pushed herself out of bed to land her feet on the plush green carpet that surrounded it, but made light steps over onto the smooth surface of the wooden boards that made up the floor, warmed by the sun's rays it did some to wake her up more to at least realize that she'd slept in longer than usual.

"Well, better get my day started." She sighed.

Scratching her head she walked out of the sun reach from the window and towards her dresser, hissing from the cold that sunk into the exposed sols of her feet from the wood that was left untouched by the warm streams of light. It was between the hours of 6:30 and 7:00 a.m.; not exactly the usual two hour timeslot she gave herself in the morning for her exercises if she woke up for 5:00, but it was at least enough for her daily stretches and a quick run around the complex of the school grounds. If she started running once she left her dorm instead of waiting to be outside she could crunch herself for more time whereas, it would take away should she have walked through the castle instead.

A plan in her head, she went about opening her drawers for clothes. She pulled out black leggings and slipped the warm stretchy material up over her legs to sit at her hips, then tied the drawstrings in a knot at the front then a pair of ankle socks for her feet. With nothing but the chain and ring swaying over her chest Karessa moved over to the vanity dresser and pulled out a neon-green spandex sports bra and put that on as well before grabbing her Slytherin crest hairpin from the table top to keep her hair back. She forewent a shower or underclothes since she was already covered in sweat, and it would only add on once she left her room, so she went to the door to put on some running shoes and left her room.

At the resounding noise of her door clicking shut, Karessa went off in a light sprint as she navigated through the many empty corridors of the school until she made it out into the fresh air and greenery of the school grounds. Stretching out the sore muscles, Daniels exercised her limbs some for about ten minutes before she got that prickly feeling on the back of her neck again right before she started jogging, convincing herself she wasn't running from the stare as she ignored the feeling of being watched.

After taking a healthy bite of her granola bar the young teen decided her first course of action was to start a light jog across the Viaduct from the main entrance of the school, and despite what the school rules dictated, she'd continue a mile in through the Forbidden Forest. Five minutes in she couldn't feel the stare anymore, another three she had passed the tree line and began to relax some despite there being more dangerous creatures in the woods.

_No, that's wrong… _She frowned to herself. _The things unknown always make the greater danger._ She reasoned.

Once reaching that mile distance within the thick trees Karessa hastened her pace into a fast sprint; dodging tall brushes in her path, ducking under low branches, and jumping fallen trees or upturned roots, she could hear her heart thumping in her ears and nothing else as she used it to count her footfalls and keep a constant pace. Her eyes were glued to the unmarked path in front of her; although her heart beat rapidly she wasn't exhausting her lungs in the slightest, nor the straining the muscles in her legs as she circled around the western part of the forest to break out from the south by the Black Lake. From the pebbled shore she slowed to a run, if only to admire the view and watch amusedly as the Giant Squid made for a slow accent towards the shore as its big eyes followed her movements with curiosity. It was only when the large aquatic decided to advance its investigation by moving closer to her that Karessa had made the turn she used to once again enter the forest to the east. Her mood was getting significantly better as she progressed further running a wide semi circle from around the Quiddich pitch before cutting it back up the steeping slopes. Breaking through the woods edge again from the north side now where Madam Hooch usually taught her flying lessons, Daniels slowed her pace to a trot as she felt her pulse and counted down as her footfalls slowed to a fast-walk. From the Training grounds she'd walk back towards the East where Hagrid's hut was before heading back to her room.

Maybe even check-in with the friendly giant and see if her package had arrived yet.

She took a more direct path towards Hagrid's by walking between Hogwart's greenhouses so it guaranteed she'd reach the hut in little time as well as shade herself from the rising sun a little while. Now that she'd slowed down, so did her concentration as the adrenaline raced away, letting her thoughts wander back onto her dream that morning.

_It's been a while since I had that dream._ She frowned. _Was it because of yesterday? Is that what triggered the memory…?_

"Draco." She said out loud to herself.

He was anonymity to her; that was certain, but as of yesterday...well, she didn't know what to make of him now. He had an ulterior motive, that she knew, but what happened in the hallway right after the meeting, it was really…_unexpected_. The young muggle couldn't even fathom how quickly the boy could change from nearly wanting to kill her to almost kissing her in a public scene where anyone could have stumbled upon them. What had gone through his mind to have led him up to that point? More importantly what had she been thinking – she couldn't have let him kiss her yet she never made a move to stop him. She had a lot of pressing matters to deal with in her short stay at the school – that now had to be shortened once more due to that spy, but there she stood in his hold, forgetting all of the reasons to resist Malfoy, and waiting with baited breath for him to close the distance between them.

She shook her head at the memory. A bad feeling began to sink into her bones as she continued walking, and the thought of letting Draco get too close was a dangerous one.

"Say the devil's name, and the devil shall appear." A deep amused voice said from the shadows.

Just as Daniels snapped her head up another strong arm snatched out and pulled her towards the owner before pressing her back against one of the surrounding greenhouses. She was getting too distracted these days, she thought dryly.

"Is this going to become a habit of yours," she breathed out, "slamming me into walls?"

"Already thinking that far into the future are we?" he asked amusedly as he played with a stray lock of her hair, denying her a proper answer. "Don't flatter yourself, love, I wouldn't touch you anymore than necessary."

"So what was the necessity of touching me yesterday?" She threw back at him.

He lost the amusement on his face once she said that. He gave her a long hard stare before putting on an air of nonchalance as he flicked the strand of her hair between his fingers back to her shoulder.

Draco shrugged. "I was only testing the waters."

She raised a brow. "Testing for what?"

He smirked then. "How far you're willing to let this go; what you're willing to take from me to get your bargained end of our deal." He supplied suggestively as he brazenly brought his hand up to brush the knuckles across her collarbone, daringly dipping the tips of his finger down the clothed valley between her breasts. Her breath hitched. "This is after all a business deal."

Her posture went rigid and her voice had a tinge of snip to it. "So this is just business." She meant it as a question, but it sounded like a statement. His expression was amused once again as he leaned in closer than was considerate for her personal space.

"Just business." He smirked. "Besides, I like my women pure," he said as he lifted his hand from her skin and made a show of wiping it off with a handkerchief, "not filthy in body, blood, or otherwise." He concluded.

For a moment all she felt was hot fury at hearing the undertone of what he was implying, but then she became confused when he backed up a bit to look at her properly again, and there was a victorious smile on his face.

"Ah!" he proclaimed as he brought a hand under her chin to get a better look at her eyes. "There's that fire…" he mused to himself.

Upon realizing that he'd baited her she felt another wave of anger hit her, but instead of showing it to him like she knew he'd want, she stifled it as her jaw clenched and she shifted slightly to give him a haughty look down her nose, despite being at least a head or two shorter than him.

She ignored his last proclamation. "So you mean to use me for your own gain. I find that rather selfish and underhanded."

Oh, if she only knew the extent of how true those words were to describe his motives.

"It comes with the territory of being a Slytherin." Draco smirked surreptitiously.

"Is that why you've always been the one to make a move on me, or have you just lost interest in your fellow pureblooded women?" she shrugged her shoulders as she moved out of his hold and he frowned. "I mean, if rumor serves you right, then you're rather salacious with the female population in the school, but of what I've seen you've kept them all out of arms reach." There was a light of mirth in her eyes that didn't sit well with Draco. "Now what makes them so fortunate to stay out of your radar, but whenever I'm around you seem to hold your eyes on me longer than what's appropriate for high status prejudice like yourself, and you're always invading my personal space."

His frown deepened as she leaned closer to him now instead.

"One would think I'm a special case for you. Makes me wonder if you really think I'm so interesting."

He was silent for a long moment as he just stared back at her, trying to say anything in his defense, but nothing came.

_Damn her…_ he thought in silent defeat.

"Has anyone ever told you that you overanalyze to the point of unneeded?" he bit as he glared into her eyes again.

"It comes with the territory of being a Slytherin." She tossed his smirk back at him, but this time Draco snorted.

"You know you're a real pain in th –" He paused suddenly as he regarded her person more closely.

"What is it?" She asked, uneasy with the new look of interest on his face. She retained a shudder as a wolfish smile appeared on his face. A cold chill ran through her blood as he took a predatory step closer to her.

She took a step back.

"Are you…not wearing any knickers?" he said slyly.

The star pupils Karessa had for her eyes noticeably dilated as she blanched in shock.

"W-what?"

* * *

><p><em>Did…did he just say what I think he said…?<em> I couldn't believe it. I was in such a state of shock that my mind literally shut down for a moment to try and comprehend what he just asked me. I mean, how do I even respond to a question like _that_.

"W-what?" I would have said something else if I was functioning correctly, but it was all I could do while attempting not to gape back at him in bewilderment.

"Are. You. Not. Wearing. Any. _Knickers_?" he pronounced each word with a step closer while I took the necessary to keep the distance between us.

"Why would you ask such an abysmal question like that?" I said, ignoring the urge to wrap my arms around myself as his eyes slithered up and down my form.

The gray of his irises snapped up to look directly into my eyes.

"Have you looked at yourself recently?" he smirked. "You're _drenched_ from head to toe."

I stopped moving away from him as I stared back in confusion, but upon looking down at myself I had a douse of clarity as I took note of the large pool of sweat soaking through the bright material of my sports bra as well as leaving a glossy sheen on the exposed skin of my stomach. When I shifted my weight around on my feet I could feel every inch of my leggings gripping onto me like a second skin, which probably left little to the imagination, if Malfoy's scandalous expression was anything to go by.

It occurred to me that with my clothes wet, Draco could easily notice that there were no apparent lines to give away that there was something else underneath the first layer, and considering I stood there in the sun it was all too obvious that I wasn't. I'm just grateful that I chose black for my bottoms or else I'd really be in trouble.

I looked up and there he was standing in my personal space again, nose almost touching mine, as he stared unabashedly at my heaving chest.

He brushed his knuckles up over my collarbone again. "So I'll ask you again." He spoke lightly as he looked to my face again I could see the mirth sparkling in deep gray of his eyes. "Are you truly wearing nothing under this?" He brought the hand up to snap one of my straps, while the other snaked up to my hip as it played with the drawstring.

I slapped his hands away and stepped back with a glare as he smiled at me.

He was clearly toying with me but I wasn't about to let him win this round by getting embarrassed. I had to get even with him, so I said the only thing I could think of to turn the tables in my favor.

"Why don't you come and find out for yourself." I smiled as he looked at me in shock. "But you're going to have to keep up if you want to know." Then before he could say anything else I ran off in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

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><p>It took only a moment for Draco to decipher what she said, and only half of that time before he bolted after her at a breakneck speed. Karessa bestowed a challenge to him, but she had also made it sound like an invitation. A sort of race with their end point being the fields about the gamekeeper's hut, but also it was like a game of chase seeing as she dared him to find out whether his assumption was true. The likelihood the girl didn't quite realize how literal he'd take the challenge would be her downfall, so it became a matter of catching her instead of just racing since she may try and back out on what she'd proposed beforehand. No doubt she thought Draco wouldn't take her seriously – and that was a lesson Daniels would learn the hard way; letting her get away with this was not a prospect Malfoy planned on giving her. It was one thing for her to mess with him, but it was another to test his ability at holding his own – in less than 24 hours apart from his last embarrassment – so it was a vista he was driven determined to prove his aptitude without fully understanding his desire to have her acknowledge him.<p>

Not to mention he had a reward lined up.

_And who would I be to decline such an incentive?_ He smirked to himself as he picked up speed.

Despite his thoughts he found it was much harder for him to keep up with her. At some points it seemed that she was tiring or he had finally matched speeds with her, but just when he was within grasping distance of her she'd look over her shoulder, smile widely and sprint off out of his reach again.

It was frustrating to the point where he begrudgingly admits that he underestimated the muggle once again and was paying for it some. It was another reason to wonder just how this new puzzle piece fit into place with the enigma that was her life, and that was another feat of patience he'd have to hurdle in the near future, but for now he deliberated on how she could run so fast without being the least bit fatigued.

'_Suppose that's because she's used to using her legs to get from place to place instead of apparating or flying._ He mused to himself. Then suddenly he stopped, lengthening the gap between them. _Apparation; bollocks, why didn't I think of that before! This ridiculous feat could have been over long before it began._ He berated himself for his stupidity. They had a few stretches of uneven plain before they'd make it to the field so he'd only have one shot to get in front of her and block her off if he hoped to win this.

Thinking of where he wanted to apparate he simply bided his time for just a little longer to get Daniels in position, and just in the right spot to be shielded by the slope of the field and a far enough distance from the giant's hut, since Draco had no idea what would happen after catching her.

_Just a little closer…_ he thought, _A little more…aaand…there!_ Then with a muted pop he was gone an instant behind her, and seconds later he reappeared less than two steps in front of Karessa, that in failing to notice him in time she'd collide headlong into his chest.

Only that wasn't what happened.

Daniels had heard the pop but didn't know what to make of it until she heard the noise again a short distance in front of her, and there before her was Malfoy. Knowing that something like this could occur, and being quite agile on her feet she was quick to divert her path by pivoting her foot so she'd spin her body 180 from that point to move around the stock-still blonde and continue running. However said blonde was learning from his past mistakes when underestimating this particular opponent and quickly compensated for her counteractive move as he struck his arm back to grab at her. It was due to a miscalculation that he ended up grasping the bulk of her ponytail and because of the speed Karessa had been running she was jerked back from strain on her hair while Draco was tugged forward from the force, which ultimately led the two to collide with one another.

They lay there, Karessa flat on the ground with Draco holding half his weight up on top of her, both completely bewildered at the outcome of this battle. Karessa was at a loss for words; she couldn't believe he grabbed her hair like that, and if it wasn't for her shock she might have broken loose of him and won the race. All she did was stare up at him as she panted for air since he knocked the wind out of her when they fell, but also she was still trying to wrap her head around it all. Draco on the other hand was no better, because even though he could feel her stare he couldn't tear his eyes away from his hand. There were three long wisps of black hair in his grasp and it probably shocked him more than it did her.

That's when the thought occurred to her.

_Draco Malfoy pulled my hair to win a race…_ The thought was so farcical that she couldn't decide whether she should be angry or laugh at the whole thing.

It was just so strange. If it hadn't been for the small strands of hair between his fingers and the slight throbbing coming from the back of her head she would never have believed…

She was torn from her reverie when she noticed the small movement of his hand go to press down into the thickness of her hair splayed out beneath her, let loose from its confines in the downfall, and he moved it towards the back of her head. It was a little amusing when a thought came to her that he was trying to put the threads back into her hair but then was shocked to feel his fingers probing the general area of her pain, and next began rubbing at the sore spot.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered.

The words almost tore a gasp from her throat as she looked up at him, but she held it back at the last second. Although it surprised her that he'd even bother apologizing to her for something so minor, it floored her to think he'd try and make it better, so she didn't respond or make any other move in case he wasn't fully aware as to what he was doing. He must have had some semblance of thought since he then moved his hand down the side of her face before brushing down her neck and the slope of her breast. Daniels took in a sharp breath when Malfoy's feather-like touch made the skin of her exposed abdomen tingle. There his talented fingers stroked affectionately at her hip, his thumb dipping dangerously into the hem of her leggings to brush lower than was appropriate, while his body pressed closer into hers.

"I-I thought you said you wouldn't touch me beyond…beyond what was necessary." She gasped as his knuckles accidentally brushed the sensitive tip of her breast as he brought it back up from her hip.

"…This is just business." His breathing was heavy and he knew he was getting excited with this turn of events, and now it was no longer a battle of wits with her, but a battle of control.

Merlin help him, if she kept squirming under him like that there was no stopping what he'd do next.

"Just business…" she muttered slightly to herself. Draco held his breath when she swiftly closed her eyes and he felt her legs shift to cradle his hips. She snapped her eyes open and the devious smirk on her face confused him. "Then you'll understand that this _business transaction_ is not part of the deal I offered."

Then unexpectedly Draco felt a heavy pain in his stomach as the wind left his airways.

At first he had been almost completely on top of her, but in the next moment he couldn't understand the new pain in his back as he was suddenly staring up at the muggle girl standing in the sun to shadow her devious expression as she looked down upon him. She had moved her left leg in between them and kneed him in the stomach, which explained the first pain he received, and then in pushing him off a bit the girl had brought her other leg to join the first and pressed both feet into his chest. With enough space to move her arms back over her head, and leverage the weight of both bodies, Karessa kicked up and out to throw the tall blonde off and away from her as she flipped up to stand and brush the dirt and grass from her frame.

"Is this also what I am to expect from you?" she asked the glaring boy. "Cheating to get what you want?"

"As I recall you never laid down any rules in this contest." Malfoy grunted as he sat up holding his stomach. "Besides, you had a head start."

"So you saw to apparate in front of me, then?"

"Well, I had contemplated calling my broom, but I didn't want to risk the chance of getting it damaged in the scuffle." He said brushing dirt off his shoulder as he stood up.

"Either way, of all the things you could have done to win, I never expected you the type to pull a girls hair." Karessa said with her fakest hurt-felt pout as she batted her eyes at him and rubbed the back of her head.

"That was an accident!" He exclaimed, then realizing his foolishness cleared his throat as he spoke lower. "It was an accident and I apologized for it so you can't hold it over my head."

"No you're right." She then took on an evil grin that even Lucius Malfoy would have been proud of. "But I can hold over how you massaged my head afterwards."

Draco froze. "You wouldn't." He hissed.

She gave him a closed lip smile. "No, I wouldn't." She could see the confusion on his face from her response. "But then again I'm not the kind of person who would blackmail others." She said.

"Hmm." He scoffed, "I still think that hat was bloody nutters placing you in Slytherin." He rolled his eyes.

"Perhaps it saw that I was more suitably needed here than placing me elsewhere." She said ominously.

Malfoy stared at her with his forehead furrowed. "There's that other side again." He mused. "The one everyone else is too stupid to notice."

"Well smart guy, what do you plan on doing with this knowledge?" she asked playfully.

He paused a moment while his frown deepened on his face.

Turning away from her he began walking back the way he came. "We'll work from it, I 'spose." He called over his shoulder.

"It's still your call whenever you want to meet up." She reminded him. "Where should we take forth these meetings?"

"They'd have to be during the day since as a prefect I've got round to do at night." He stated as he turned back to look at her.

She smiled. "Not necessarily. I know for a fact you've been neglecting those duties." He glared at her. "But let's say you do, you could always come by my dorm –"

"You'd let me into your dorm?" His grey eyes danced with amusement.

"Of course not." Karessa rolled her eyes. "You'd come and retrieve me after your 'rounds' and we could go to the Room of Requirements. There's no real privacy during the day with everyone roaming around."

"Well then I guess we have a plan." He deadpanned, and continued to walk away.

"So shall we start tonight then?" she asked

"No, I'm busy."

"Tomorrow?"

"I've got somewhere to be."

He heard her snort. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were stalling."

"Yet I'm not." He said. He looked towards the clock tower. "But now it seems as if we've got less than ten minutes to make breakfast." He smirked when he heard her curse under her breath.

She sighed then. "Well whenever you decide when you want to do this, give me notice, I want to at least know what I'm doing before something else comes up." She sent his back a stern look. "I'm not going to cancel my premade plan to suit your needs." She heard him make a sound of amusement.

"By the way, I won." He said. The statement confused her.

"Come again?" she asked. Draco stopped once more and looked over his shoulder, a smirk present on his lips.

"I was right; that really _is_ all you're wearing out now." He said.

Suddenly she understood and she could feel her cheeks turning red despite her darker skin tone. She had assumed he was too lost in thought to realize he had felt her up.

Or worse yet, that she let him.

Right when she was about to retort he had apparated away from the scene, leaving her frustrated with him, but even more so at herself. She huffed childishly as she stomped a foot before turning and hightailing it up the slope to run across the Covered Bridge and head back to her room.

_You won this round, Malfoy, I'll give you that._ She thought to herself as she ran.

"But that's all you'll be getting." She grumbled stubbornly to herself as she ran into the school.

All the while her cheeks still burning red.

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><p><strong>AN****: I'm a little distracted right now, so since you've all been so patient I'll give you the 1****st**** half of this chapter now, **_**BUT THE 2**__**nd**__** HALF WILL BE POSTED LATER AT THE END OF THIS ONE**_**!**


	13. A Princess's Accident & A Tender Prince

**A/N****: 08/30/12. Ok, so I changed my mind and posted the 2****nd**** half of "**_Fanning the Flames & Battles of Business_**" after some deliberation – which I'll thank **_HALLOWEEN WITCH _**for – it was fine how the chapter ended, and it just goes to show who's more dedicated to read my author's note for this story. SO I THANK MY TOP THREE LOYALEST READERS AND REVIEWERS!**

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><p>Every time she looked into those grey-blue eyes of his Karessa felt her embarrassment anew, and she hated it. The incident happened many hours ago, and since then it was like Malfoy did everything possible so they'd pass by each other five times an hour. It came down to when they had finally reached their Potions class that Draco's salacious stares and assuming smirks really started getting on her nerve.<p>

"Hey, what's wrong?"

The feminine voice broke the muggle girl out of her musings. She looked to her right to see Pansy looking at her with a curious look on her face. The moment she had entered the class, Pansy and Millicent had moved from their seats to go and sit by her, knocking Blaise from his spot beside her as Parkinson stole it from under him. So with little fuss and great displeasure on Blaise's part he moved to sit in front of her next to Millicent.

Karessa waved it off. "It's nothing; just not a good start to my day is all." She said as she looked over her shoulder unassumingly to see the blonde that was the subject of her thoughts, still staring at her.

_If he smirks at me like that one more time I'm going to ri–_ "Are you sure?" Pansy said interrupting her thought process once more. "You seem a little strung up at the moment." She said as her eyes drifted in the same direction as Daniels had. Realization dawned upon the brunette as Draco connected eyes with her and instead of smirking he frowned before turning back to his notes.

Parkinson hid a smirk herself as she turned back around to look at the muggle beside her. "Don't worry; he's just as much a pain to the rest of us as he would be for you." She laughed lightly.

Karessa tried to smile along with her but couldn't due to the eyes on her form once more.

"Alright, children!" Professor Slughorn exclaimed jovially. "Now that I've returned, as have Miss Daniels," he indicated to Karessa and she nodded back at him, "We can pick the winner for the proper brewing of _The Wiggenweld Potion_, and see who gets the last vile of _Felix Felicis_." He said with a smile.

Everyone waited in anticipation.

"But first, we'll have our lesson for today." He finished. As he turned to write on the board there was a chorus of groans left in his wake. "Glad you're all excited, now if you would all, please turn to page 139 in your text books…" He said.

Slughorn had given them a short lesson on the use of Wormwood since they had all used it to brew _The Draught of Living Death_. He made the students list off a few effects that could relate with the use of the draught as well as counteractive measures to dilute them. Then there was the odd use it had for cooking; being such a bitter and possibly deadly product, it was a wonder why people would use it in preparing food.

Karessa tried her best to take notes and pay attention to the lesson since she'd have missed whatever may have been taught the week before She knew this would be the same case with any of her other classes, but it was a difficult task concentrating on what Slughorn was teaching when she could constantly feel eyes on her back. It wasn't like the eyes of the spy that was watching her around the school but it worked just the same to unnerve her and lose her focus.

Then if that wasn't enough, Parkinson trying to talk her ear off sure was doing the trick.

The girl clearly took no interest in what the professor was saying up at the board, and due to said disinterest, Pansy decided it was a better time than ever to share gossip with the other girl – and a murmur here or a well placed yes there wasn't cutting it.

Then she moved onto the subject she _really_ wanted to cover with her.

"Hey, Daniels?" Pansy whispered to her as Professor Slughorn turned his back on the class to write on the board once more.

"Mmhm?" Karessa mumbled as she dabbed her quill back into the inkwell to begin a new sentence on her parchment.

"So you've been here almost a month," Pansy began. "I don't think I've ever asked you before, but how are you settling in?" she asked.

Karessa glanced up at the board as the professor continued his lecture. She glanced at the brunette beside her before looking back down at her paper. "It has been fine; it was a lot better than I expected – I didn't think I'd be able to get a good rhythm into the school at least for another month."

"How do you mean?"

Karessa sighed. "Well, I've got my own workouts I do each morning and I had originally been worried whether I could still pull them off being at this school; I didn't know what the active life was like here, and I didn't want to get in anyone's way." She said.

Parkinson nodded. "Oh, so you workout?" she said. "Is it anything like what you're teaching us in your Defense class, thing?"

Karessa smiled as she wrote on her parchment and switched a page in her textbook. "No, what I'm doing is more like training my body, while with you guys I'm having you learn." She looked at Pansy. "It's for my endurance so I can push for something longer."

Pansy nodded understandingly, but it was clear in her expression that she was still unseeing to the point of what she was doing. But then again, Daniels thought to herself, she was and still is one of the many who don't quite see the extent that the use of fully training one's body was essentially valuable when a person had a wand to protect themselves.

But then despite the girl's turn around for her prejudices against _her_, the star-eyed muggle still had her doubts that Parkinson was all aboard in learning through muggle-based means.

"I'll teach you guys the basics another time." Karessa said with an amused glint in her eye.

It was after a playful nudge from Parkinson that the girl got back on track to what she was longing to discuss with Daniels.

"Yes, whatever the means, I'm sure you'll clear things up eventually with the rest of us – but enough about that." She said waving her hand dismissively at the notion. "I was getting off-track; what I was saying was –"

"Miss Parkinson, do you know the answer?" Pansy looked up to the teacher, and then around at the class who had set their eyes on the bewildered girl.

"U-um…could you repeat the question, sir?" she asked as a last ditch effort to save face, but it didn't work as the surrounding students began laughing. Slughorn shook his head in disappointment.

"I suggest you pay more attention to the lesson for a time ahead in the future, instead of busying your seat partner with student gossip that could be saved for after class or before the next." He said turning away from the new wave of laughter that emitted after as well as the hot blush on Pansy's face as she shrunk down in her seat.

You'd think that would have deterred her some from trying to continue a conversation in the middle of class but it didn't, and within a few minutes she was back to leaning towards the girl with her student crest made into a pin for her hair.

"So anyway, what I wanted to say was; that you must also have an idea of how you get along with the people here in the school." The brunette whispered more discreetly.

Daniels shrugged. "I guess – I haven't met too many people quite yet," another ink stroke to her parchment, "But so far it hasn't been an issue with the teachers or classmates."

"Or the boys…" Pansy offered in slyly, and Karessa had an ink splotch in the middle of her current sentence as she looked properly at her bench partner. Pansy had looked away slightly but shortly turned back with a genuine curious look on her face.

_So that's where she was going with this…_

"Well – I would assume, seeing as I do have them for classmates as well." She said gesturing fleetingly with her own hand around the room.

Blaise snorted from his spot in front of them. Pansy glared at him while Millicent hit him lightly on the arm, and Karessa tried not to smile at their reactions.

"Anyway," Pansy rolled her eyes, "The point is with the amount of guys that you have around you on a daily basis, there's got to be someone who's caught your eye, right?"

Karessa ignored the urge to turn and look back from her seat.

"Not really." She said as she looked to Pansy. "I mean, sure there are some really attractive guys in the school, but I'm not exactly –"

"Ladies, if there is something more interesting than needing to take notes on the pop quiz we'll be having next week, then by all means, share it with the rest of the class." The girls looked up, startled by the Professor's voice as he turned his grey head around to look at them, his arms folded, and eyes on their little group as the rest of the class was.

Parkinson tried stuttering out another response. "We-well, you see – um…it was just I-I…"

"What she means is; I was trying to help her out with a question she had about the notes we were taking." Karessa substituted effortlessly, saving Parkinson from embarrassing herself again.

Professor Slughorn raised his brows expectantly. "Oh?" he said curiously as his interest peaked. "What might that be, my dear?"

Blaise gave her a daring look, his eyebrow quirked up; interested to see what kind of explanation she was going to pull out of her arse. Karessa's starry eyes shone in amusement as she smiled, but ignored the look to face the Potions teacher.

"I was explaining the similarities and differences between the _Draught of the Living Death_ and the _Elixir to Induce Euphoria_." She stated.

"Really!" Slughorn expressed excitedly with a gleeful smile on his face. "Then by all means, continue on for the class." He encouraged with a sweeping gesture of his arms around the room.

She smiled and nodded her head. "Of course." She placed her peacock quill down gently on the desk then stood from her seat to look around the class. "What Pansy had pointed out had more to do with wormwood, than the potions themselves. I had cleared for her the use of the ingredient in the _Draught of the Living Death_ and what were the possible side effects that helped define the potion for what it did, which was a death-like sleep when brewed properly. It also occurred that though its use could be potentially dangerous in its consumption, it brought to my attention what sort of traits it brought in the use of brewing the _Elixir to Induce Euphoria_. Whether its toxin qualities equate to the hallucinogens the plant emits, and again about the counteractive abilities other products had when the herb is used for something as natural as cooking." She finished.

The class was speechless for a moment as they all just stared up at her, most convinced she wasn't capable of such a thoroughly thought out answer. Daniels took the chance to look around the room to steal a glance at the one with the heaviest stare on her.

Grey blues and a surprisingly impressed smirk awaited her upon connection.

"My word…" Slughorn said with an astounded tone. "What a very bright and insightful mind you have there, dear girl." He began clapping and the rest of the class joined in slowly. "Bravo, and to you as well, Miss Parkinson; a good job at spotting such a measure!" he nodded to the two girls as he smiled joyously at them.

Pansy was lost for words once more and just stared gaping between her muggle seat partner to the Professor up by the blackboard. Blaise simply smirked up at Daniels as his shoulders shook in silent laughter, drowned out by the students clapping.

"80 points to Slytherin; well done girls!" Slughorn beamed at them. The Slytherins cheered boisterously.

Karessa sat back in her seat and Millicent turned in hers to give the girl a bright smile and a pat on the shoulder as she stopped clapping. "Awesome explanation." She congratulated. "Good one on coming up at such short notice, how'd you do it?"

She shrugged. "The thought occurred to me while I was taking notes, and if the Professor hadn't called on us, I would have asked the question on my own."

"Yes, but what about for Pansy?" Millicent leaned in to whisper in a consorting manner, although the noise in the covered her voice well enough. "I mean, you didn't even flinch when Slughorn baited you, and you even managed to save Pansy's neck in the process."

"A quick thinker and a sly liar," Blaise's smirk widened into a grin as he looked at the muggle. "No wonder they put in Slytherin."

Karessa smiled secretively while in the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder on Draco's thoughts of what she did just now. She thought she saw a look of impression on him as he smirked at her, but that could have been a mistake, and she wouldn't dare chance another look at him. The noise in the background was beginning to dull and she took note that the Potions professor was trying to get some order back into his classroom.

"Alright class, settle down!" Their grey-haired professor said over the noise in the room. "Now our dear Miss Daniels was correct about the wormwood; it has many uses, even in some of our most common tonics." He then went about conjuring up a few large cauldrons, twice the size of the ones the student were required to carry to class. "So as your new assignment for today, I would like you to grab a partner, and together you both will brew the _Elixir to Induce Euphoria_." He said exuberantly.

The hum of many voices began anew, but not quite as loud as before as people began shuffling around to get a partner.

Slughorn spoke once again. "Once you have a partner, pick a cauldron and get to work. Go on now!"

Blaise had stood up to naturally fall by Karessa's side and be her partner, but with a gesture from Pansy, Millicent grabbed his arm and dragged him off to be her partner at one of the big cauldrons. He scowled over at Parkinson who smirked back at him. Suddenly his eyes widened slightly as he looked over at a point behind her shoulder, and then to her confusion began smirking at her. Parkinson's brow scrunched up until she heard the voice behind her.

"Hey, would you like to be my partner for today?" a male voice said.

Turning her head quickly she saw before her Harry Bleeding Potter standing just behind her chair with his hand outstretched before her in a gentlemanly manner.

"Sure, I'd love to." Karessa took the spectacled boy's hand as he helped her up after grabbing her things. She smiled and waved back at Pansy. "I'll see you after class." She said to the shock-still brunette as the infamous Boy Wonder led her off to a free cauldron within the middle row of desks.

Then as if just realizing, Pansy broke out of her shocked state and blinked dumbfounded at sitting in her place alone. She frowned. Now she'd have to wait until after class to continue her talk with Daniels, since there was no way Potter would let her near them as her partner. Other than that, it dawned on Parkinson that she also owed the girl a thank you, since not only did she save her hide, but managed to gain an extra eighty points to their house.

"Damn it." She grumbled to herself as she went to sit by Draco.

* * *

><p>"So, how have you been adjusting so far with your classes?"<p>

Karessa looked up from the Potions textbook to acknowledge Harry. They had decided based on Harry's accomplishment at winning the first vile of Liquid Luck that it made the most sense to let the boy take the reins in their assignment for the day. In doing so, the Potter boy also suggested they used his textbook to follow the instructions into brewing the given potion, thus Daniels was studying the new enhanced formula by the elusive '_Half Blood Prince'_.

Karessa laughed slightly as she brushed a stubborn strand of dark hair out of her eyes. "I wonder why people are so interested to ask me that." She said.

Harry gave her a bewildered and slightly confused look as he paused in stirring the mixture in the cauldron. "What?"

His partner shook her head dismissively. "It's nothing." She said distractedly as she flipped a page in the book. "Keep stirring; the book says we can't let it settle at this point in the brewing." She gestured with her hand. Harry picked up his slack and continued where he left off.

Karessa measured a large amount of crushed shrivelfig before spooning in small amounts into the cauldron each time Harry stirred it counterclockwise three times. "By the way, to answer your question before, I'm doing alright." She responded to his earlier inquiry. "Nothing has piled on me so far in this first month, so I'd think that's a good part on my side." She said placing the now empty measuring cup down. She picked up the old-bound book once more.

"Oh, well that's good to hear..." There was a short silence as the sounds of spoons clinking against the iron interior of cauldrons, slicing knives on chopping boards, and silent chatter filled the room.

"This is quite remarkable…" Karessa muttered to herself as she flipped through some of the pages of Harry's withered out textbook. She looked up at him with a curious tint to her star pupils. "Do you have any idea who the Half Blood Prince is?"

Harry shrugged as he gave her a small smile. "I have no idea, but whoever they were, we have them to thank for a very good grade in Potions class."

His partner laughed. "I'd say so." Daniels smiled back. "Make sure you pick me as a partner more often." She said slyly.

"Will do." Harry chuckled.

Karessa excused herself a short while after to go retrieve the other ingredients needed from the front of the class. All that was needed left was to add the porcupine quills and the wormwood, both in which she would receive on her trip to the front. Grabbing the porcupine quills carefully so as not to prick her hand, Daniels smiled up at Professor Slughorn as they locked eyes a moment before she moved down the table to pick up a small amount of the earlier discussed herb. When she reached out a hand towards the aromatic plant she was surprised to see another, paler than her own hand, slam down on the table in front of her path.

Glancing up the arm to look into the owner's eyes, she saw the same mischief filled grey eyes that have been the bane of her edginess for the day.

"That was quite ingenious of you to come up with such an explanation as you did earlier." The blonde complemented as he looked at her curiously. "It was rather flawless the way you didn't even crack under the pressure of the whole class staring at you. I'm almost starting to think the hat knew what it was doing, placing you in Slytherin." He smirked.

"Glad to see you're starting to accept my presence in such a highly regarded House." She responded slightly sarcastically.

Draco snorted. "Don't get cheeky, I may tolerate you, but that hardly means you've been accepted as anything more than a tool…a very useful one you've been beginning to show. But still –"

"I'm a means to an end?" she asked with a knowing smirk as she interrupted him.

He frowned. However it confused her when he hesitated to respond after. "…Yes."

"It's all I'm really useful for then." She said dismissively as she reached over him to grab the wormwood, but upon retracting her hand he snatched her by the wrist and lifted the hand as if to get a closer look at her darker skin against his own paler tone, with the herb folded within her grasp.

His eyes drifted down her arm. "No I think we both know that there is a better use for you than that." That damned smirk was on his face again as his eyes connected with hers, and she could feel every puff of his warm breath on the skin of her arm.

Fighting the blush and working to keep her face neutral, the star-eyed muggle pulled her arm free as she leveled a look at the young Malfoy, clearly warning him of their current placement and who could be watching their interaction.

"Stop messing with me."

"But you're reactions are so entertaining." He grinned.

She lifted her chin. "It's one thing to do it when nobody's around, but I figured you wouldn't want to give people a reason for gossip, associating with me the way you have. I never pegged you to be so bold."

He sneered at her. "It's nobody's business what I do and they shouldn't be so quick to judge."

"Again, I could say the same thing, and yet it fascinates me how you often use that term as a defense for who you are." Daniels walked off then, shaking her head as she made her way back to her seat. "That's twice I've reminded you of this fact, and you're starting to make yourself look bad." She said teasingly over her shoulder, hiding the smile that threatened to expose her amusement on her face.

She could have sworn she heard him mumble 'bloody cheeky bint' as she sat back next to Harry who looked between her and Malfoy on guard, though his expression clearly read confusion.

"Everything alright?" he asked taking the quills gently from her hand. "Was something going on up at the front? I saw Malfoy up there with you, did he say something to you?"

Karessa smiled to herself as she looked through Harry's Potions textbook.

"Keep stirring, _Nosey_ Potter, it's nothing to worry about."

* * *

><p>"My word, you've done another splendid job, you two!" Slughorn exclaimed to Harry and Karessa. Everyone had finished their potions <em>Elixir to Induce Euphoria<em>, along with their partners as they produced them for inspection by their grey haired teacher himself.

As before, it was no surprise to hear him praise Harry for his good potion skills, and Karessa as a strong partner in the brewing process. "And what's that I smell? Mmmmm... you've added just a sprig of peppermint, haven't you?"

"I leave that credit all to Mr. Potter, sir." Daniels said slyly as she bumped Harry's shoulder playfully as they smiled to one another.

"Unorthodox, but what a stroke of inspiration, Harry, of course, that would tend to counterbalance the occasional side effects of excessive singing and nose-tweaking... I really don't know where you get these brain waves, my boy..." Slughorn praised. "Well done the both of you, 20 points for each."

The students clapped. Karessa winked at Harry and he chuckled as they went back to their temporary seats to clean up their station while Slughorn briefed the class about the _Wiggenweld Potion_. The short lecture was based inspired by the peppermint used in their potion, since it too used a sprig of mint in its making, so the professor thought it was a great way to finish the class off before the next winner of _Liquid Luck_. It was when the man was halfway through his explanation of the components that Karessa felt someone lay a hand on her shoulder.

Turning her view she saw Ritchie Coote bent over at her side from behind her. She remembered his name in a passing conversation she and Harry had about Quiddich and the people on the Gryffindor team, seeing as Harry was captain. Coote happened to be the replacement Beater as was another boy by the name of Jimmy Peakes ever since Ron's older brothers, Fred and George, left Hogwarts before their senior year.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" he asked in a whisper.

Daniels had met Coote in passing during her spare early morning where she'd use the time to do her exercises before breakfast. It had been a muggy day that stiffened the air with perspiration as the rain had also left the ground wet, and not wanting to chance getting stuck in mud, she had decided to run about the Quiddich pitch instead of the woods. It was a chance meeting when she ran the way to the pitch only for Coote to be meters behind her in muggle jogging clothes as well. They talked as they ran the pitch and found that they had a few things in common, since he was a half-blood with a muggle mother and had grown up with the culture. Coote usually did his rounds a little later than she did each sunrise, but that day was a special case since he was worried about the rain; and admitted to often seeing her leave the pitch whenever he was heading towards it as Karessa had finished her daily stretches at the Quiddich field. Since then he'd often start his day earlier or take different roots to cross her path from time to time as they each did their own routines before school started.

He had deep brown eyes, light brown skin taut about attractive bone structure in his face, and dark brown twists for hair that just grazed under his ears. With the small conversations they've shared beforehand she found he had a charming personality and a friendly ready smile that always managed to prompt one from her.

"I'm doing fine." She responded just as quietly as she glanced up to the front.

Coote nodded. "The same. So where were you today? I didn't see you out on the field." He said. In their last conversation they had mentioned running together for that morning, but with everything that happened from the moment Karessa woke up to her confrontation with Draco, it had slipped her mind.

She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry." She said. "I woke up late today, and got a little side tracked."

He smiled widely at her as his shoulders loosened up a bit, which made her believe that he may have thought she blew him off, and that made her feel guilty for forgetting about their plans earlier. "It's alright, I understand. These things happen from time to time, and I don't blame you for being tired; you've got a lot to handle on your plate from how your school schedule is placed out." He said sympathetically.

She smiled sheepishly. "Yes, but I can't say I have a huge problem with it." She shrugged while pushing the same stubborn hair behind her ear again. "It keeps me busy throughout my time and I'm used to the hustle so I don't get slack in taking on more than one job at a time."

He laughed slightly. "I can understand that."

She nodded as she glanced back up to the front shortly before turning back to look at Coote. "Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Actually yes." He smiled that charming smile. "I wanted to know if you'd –"

"Alright, class!" Slughorn pronounced. "The moment you've all been waiting for, as to who will claim the last vile of _Felix Felicis_. Come now, everyone up to the front!" he said.

Everyone moved as a whole as some also gathered their things since the clock was just a few short minutes away before the bell would chime to let the students out for lunch. Karessa was one of the few who put her things away before moving with the crowd to surround the Professor's desk, the large cauldrons still filled with everyone's potions from their joint venture. The professor finished off his earlier lecture with the tale of how both the _Draught of Living Death_ and _Wiggenweld Potion_ came about. Apparently the draught was made by a jealous witch known as the _Hag Leticia Somnolens_ who tricked a princess into drinking the potion and casting her into a death-like sleep. She was only then saved by her fate of eternal slumber by a prince who had laced the _Wiggenweld Potion_ upon his lips and kissed the princess, there so awakening her.

It was during this time that Coote slipped up beside her once more. "So about what I was saying earlier," he began, but then was rudely interrupted by Cormac McLaggen as he bumped the younger boy out of his way to give the cheesiest smile she'd ever seen on anyone's face before. McLaggen had fallen behind in his last year and had to retake the course in order to graduate after falling ill during his exams, thus his appearance into their Potions class.

"Good day to you, Miss Daniels, wasn't it?" he said, but before she could answer he had continued speaking, ignoring the death glare at his shoulders from the disgruntled Ritchie behind him. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Cormac McLaggen, you've probably already heard of me seeing as you're already well acquainted with Potter and this useless lag here." He said gesturing a thumb over to Coote.

Karessa blinked at Cormac. "Yes, I have heard of you – you were on the Gryffindor Quiddich team last year as Keeper, correct?"

He grinned at her. "Indeed I was, Miss, as I shall be again this year. It's a straight winner on my part, no doubt with my skills, Potter will be begging for me to be on the team." He said boastfully as he leaned a hand on the desk between them as he smirked down at her.

"Oh, come off it, you prick!" Ritchie huffed from behind him, bumping the taller boy's shoulder as he moved in front of him. "You're so full of hot air it's amazing you don't start floating off like them air balloons." He said.

McLaggen sneered at Coote. "Better a head full of hot air than a thick skull with no nothing in it." He growled back. "I don't know how they let you on the team last year – they must have been really desperate. I could do your job as a Beater better than you ever could." He said with his nose in the air.

Karessa just stood by at a loss on how to stop this recent development. Ritchie looked about to explode, and the teacher was none the wiser.

"Now, as to who shall win the last prize for their potion the week before." Slughorn had started.

"Oh, believe me Cormac, I can do my job as a Beater _very well_. I could show you right now if that's what you really want." Ritchie threatened.

"Um, guys?" Karessa had tried to interrupt but they didn't hear her.

McLaggen scoffed. "Oh, come off it you trollip. You'd only be proving my statement if you think you can start something with me here." He said before a smirk appeared on his face. "Not that you could really do anything."

He announced the taunt with a small shove to Coote's chest, bumping him back a step and giving Daniels the small opportunity to move in between the two boys to try and stop them once more.

"…After long and careful consideration, it had brought me down between four likely students who have all done marvelous works with their potions of the draught." Slughorn indicated to the large pot he had brewed and presented to the class as part of his first lecture.

"Okay, enough, the two of you." Karessa had exclaimed quietly as she placed her bag off to the side and looked between the two rivaling boys. "This isn't the time or place." She said sternly.

They ignored her once more.

"…I've decided that the winner for the best brewed _Wiggenweld Potion_ goes to –"

"Shove it, McLaggen!" Coote's growling voice interrupted Slughorn's announcement as the class turned to see Ritchie shove Cormac back and towards the Professor's desk through the crowd of students. But what neither opposing student planned for was Karessa being caught in the crossfire.

At a ditch effort to steady himself, Cormac had reached out to grab onto something to hold him up as Ritchie's strong push shoved him through the crowd of students before them. In doing so, the nearest thing he grabbed was Karessa's shoulder and ended up bringing her down along with him to the foot of the teacher's desk.

But if that wasn't enough, Cormac had caught himself at the last second near another desk where someone hadn't finished cleaning up their station, leaving a few porcupine quills out and unguarded, as McLaggen landed his hand on a few of them. Crying out, the young man shot his hand up, in the process swinging his arm and knocking one of the large cauldrons with the classes' assignments still in them, and a chain reaction commenced even further. When the first cauldron fell, it knocked over all the others that followed it, splashing the surrounding students too close as many of them ingested the contents while the cauldrons fell to the floor. People were laughing outrageously, singing loudly and nose-tweaking with large smiles that threatened to split their faces in two. The ones who weren't affected stayed as far from the mess as possible.

"It's alright everyone!" the Potions professor yelled out over the boisterous singing of the other students, being unaffected despite having his clothes dosed in the potion as well as the others. "They'll be fine in a few short hours, your fellow classmate have luckily only ingested the elixir and not the draught." He said as some of the covered students began singing the Hogwarts school anthem.

"Um, Professor? I think you need to come see this." Parkinson said in a panic as she was kneeling on the floor with a small crowd gathered around her. "I-I think we have a problem."

"A problem, a problem, what could possibly be wrong when the world is so _right_!" a chorus of people sang out as the skipped past the Potions professor.

"Oh?" he had said as he got by the crowd and made his way closer to look down at what his pupils were staring at. "What might that be, Miss Parkinson?"

Moving to stand within the crowd Slughorn was shocked to see what had grabbed the students' attention. Pansy looked frantic, Blaise was kneeling down beside her looking just as frazzled if not more, Harry and Hermione stood stock still, Draco showed a surprising look of concern on his face, while Ritchie had gone quite pale. There before them was the near empty cauldron of the draught Slughorn had prepared for their lesson, its contents spread about the floor in a clear liquid before them, but the brunt of mixture hadn't spread across the floor.

It had seeped into the fabric of the still form of Karessa Daniels that laying before them. There was a small splotch of blood trickling down her nose.

"She-she's not breathing." Pansy almost chocked.

"Are you sure?" Ritchie asked on a gulp. "I-I mean she can't be –"

"Of course I am, you idiot!" Pansy snapped as tears began to sting her eyes for reasons unknown to her. "She's not moving – not even to take a breath, how hard did you push her!" she screeched.

"I didn't push her! I pushed McLaggen!" he said desperately. "It was an accident, I didn't know she'd get in the way, or how that dolt would grab her as he fell." He defended as he shoved a hand in the direction of Cormac who had also been affected by the elixir.

Blaise tried to remain calm as he leaned over the fallen muggle and parted her lips to inspect the inside of her mouth before bringing his ear over to Karessa's mouth, then her chest, and finally placing two fingers over her wrist. "I think she swallowed some of the draught." He declared in slight relief. "She's still got a pulse, but its faint."

"Well what do we do?" Pansy exclaimed.

"We need the antidote." Professor Slughorn chimed in. "Quickly children, get a dose of the _Wiggenweld Potion_ for her to swallow!" he said hurriedly as he kneeled down next to Blaise, checking the fallen girl as well.

All the surrounding students moved in a hustle aside from Blaise and Draco as they all searched high and low for a vile or cup to scoop up the antidote to distribute to the girl. Pansy offered to run to the Hospital wing and get Madame Pomfrey, they all had to move with urgency since it wasn't known whether Daniels had a concussion from hitting her head when she fell or not. They had to revive her, for the worst case that she did have a concussion; she couldn't remain unconscious as she was.

However there was another problem on their plates.

"Get lost would you!"

"Um, hello! I'm trying to get through."

"Ow! That was my foot you baboon!"

It seemed that there were more students affected by the accident then was originally thought. The room had gotten much louder as many of them had conjugated in the middle of the classroom singing at the top of their lungs, while some were – to the others' horror – breaking empty potion bottles as someone had the crazy idea of juggling them.

Millicent was the first to get a vile as she snatched one from one of the more decent jugglers and quickly made her way back to the three by the fallen girl, only managing to be stopped once by Crabbe as he grabbed a hold of her, and began an odd folk dance as he swung her around in his bulky arms. After screaming at him with a 'Move out of my way, you oaf' Bulrostrode bent before the group.

"What now?" she asked.

"What are you, daft? Go get the potion!" Draco barked at her.

"But where is there any?" she asked frantically. "The majority of the cauldrons that anyone handed in have fallen along with the others, and how can we be sure how many people did the potion correctly. It could do her more harm than good if we use the wrong one." She reasoned.

"She's right." Blaise interjected. "There's no telling whose potion was brew correctly or not, but we have to try something." Suddenly Draco went off towards the back storage room when something caught his eye. No one noticed him really leave in the disaster except Blaise.

'_Now what is he doing?_' the Italian asked himself.

It was a split decision that swarmed the Malfoy's thoughts as he realized the small panic of the situation, and even felt the stings of anxiety in his system as well, though he couldn't put a name as to why he felt so concerned about the girl's safety – and it bothered him to be aware that it had little to do with the bet and how this may set them all back.

What drew his attention to the back room while everyone else had scrambled around looking for a decently brewed, and still standing cauldron of _Wiggenweld,_ was a memory of having to supervise a detention one afternoon in that very classroom when he saw Daniels was already occupying the room. Upon noticing him, she realized he was there to look after the Ravenclaw that had beat him to the dungeons, and she had absorbedly apologized for taking up the space to finish a potion assignment for their next class or something. It didn't occur to him until just a few moments ago that the lime-green brew she had been polishing off was probably the brew they currently needed at full working capacity.

And she had stashed it in the back room.

A quick search around, Draco had found the smaller cauldron safely put up on a shelf with what looked like a protective cover to keep it from spilling its contents, and on closer inspection, he knew without a doubt it was the proper brew. Knowing already that the girl was a clever potioneer in her own rights he took the chance that she had did everything right and thought about if old Slughorn had said anything to them about how to distribute the potion on a victim under a spelled sleep.

'_Oh bugger, what had the old coot said again? Something about a princess and a witch?_' he sifted through his brain trying to piece together the story he had only tuned in for a short while to listen. '_There was a prince…something about wisp…a whisper, maybe? No that doesn't make any bloody sense!_' he racked his brain vigorously for the answer he needed.

Then suddenly a light bulb clicked.

'_A kiss! Yes, how else would she have gotten the remedy? Why didn't I remember that?_' but he didn't think long on it afterwards as he pulled off the cover for Daniels' pot off and quickly spread the thick liquid on his lips, taking a small amount in his mouth just in case.

With a grimace he tightened his jaw as his lips pursed and he sat the cauldron down before rushing back into the main part of the classroom, only to almost spit out what little he had in his mouth to see before him two more parties of their gathered group unconscious with an empty and broken vile at their side. It didn't take much thought to know they must have tried one or two of the potions to see if it was safe to give Daniels – but proved faulty. The fallen were Millicent and Ron, while beside them kneeled Potter – with green striped hair – and a polka dotted Granger at their sides.

If it wasn't for the dire matter at hand and the answer to their problems in his mouth, Draco would have laughed at their apparel. He made his way over to Blaise and Slughorn, none aware of his approach as they checked over the muggle's vitals. He bent on one knee on the opposite side of her. Blaise looked up to acknowledge him.

Draco grabbed Karessa by her loose shoulders and lifted to cradle her in his left arm, his right hand coming up to hold her slackened head up by the nape of her neck.

Zabini looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing?" he asked confusedly. Draco didn't respond

He dipped his head to press his lips onto the unconscious girl's.

It was a swift kiss meant to last but a few short seconds but ended up lasting so much longer as he got lost in the feeling. Tender. More tender than he'd ever received or given to another person, that the warm tingling feeling of her lips had Draco lose his senses and fill them in with her. He tangled the hand on her neck into her soft dark mane of hair as their mouths slanted against one another. In the back of his mind he realized the antidote worked and Karessa had awoken when he felt her respond with a soft press of her lips to join the kiss, and her small hand lifted from the ground to rest on his clothed bicep.

* * *

><p>Remembering herself, Karessa had made the move to pull away first after realizing where she was and who she was currently with. She hadn't been completely aware of what had happened to her at first upon waking, only that her vision was a little fuzzy, her head hurt, and that her body felt surprisingly warm considering to the drafty temperature in the dungeon classroom. At the beginnings of her conscious she thought she was dreaming. An odd romantic dream as Draco Malfoy's face swam into her view, only for her to feel him embracing her as one of his hands rubbed soothing circles into the back of her head. She noted that she didn't really find the scene uncomforting; in fact she rather enjoyed the warm prickling sensation that crawled over her skin as her dream Draco deepened their kiss, so in turn she responded. It was only when he hit a particular sensitive spot on her head that sent small shoots of pain into her system, where she knew a bump must have been, and added to the mix was the odd sour taste in her mouth. Understanding dawned on her.<p>

She was very much awake. And Draco was very much leaning over her.

But in being aware of the reality of the situation, Karessa was at a loss of how to go about the situation, as well as the rather shocked faces of their comrades surrounding them in concern and curiosity. The poor girl couldn't bring herself to say anything for a long moment both in mortification and still fighting off the haze of her potion induced sleep. Everything was confusing to her.

She looked up at Draco when she felt him move the same stubborn strand behind her ear as he stared down at her in concern – she blushed at the hint of lust that laid beneath it.

"Are…are you alright now?" he asked hesitantly, attempting to be nice despite being out of his element on this one.

"Draco?" she began with a scratchy voice. Clearing it she tried again. "Malfoy…wh…what did you do?"

"I revived you." He stated simply as he moved back to give her some space, but didn't drop his hands from their placement. "You must have smacked your head to the floor or the table when you fell, but you ended up ingesting a good amount of a potion that really knocked you out."

"Which potion?" she said as her heart fell to her stomach.

"Draught of Living Death."

Daniels took a moment to steady herself as her head swam when she tried sitting up. She swiped a hand under her nose and a bit of dried blood showed on the back of her hand.

"So…you gave me the antidote?"

The blonde nodded.

"But then…you – why did you…?" she couldn't bring herself to finish her question as she could still feel her lips tingling from before.

"Kissed you?"Malfoy supplied helpfully. Karessa nodded.

His brow scrunched in confusion. "Well it's what the prince did for the princess when she had been cursed by the other woman. It seemed the only way to give you what you needed." He stated factually.

For the first time during the conversation Karessa acknowledged Blaise who sat slightly dumbfounded at her side. The two shared a look that Draco could decipher.

"What?" the two looked away from each other and avoided his eyes. He frowned. "What is it I'm missing?"

Taking pity on the man, as well as the blushing girl, Blaise spoke up for Daniels where she couldn't do it herself. He looked at Draco.

"You didn't have to kiss her.

"…What?" Draco asked, not quite comprehending what Blaise had told him. "But what the professor had told us –"

"Was just a story." Blaise interjected as he rubbed his eyes frustratingly. He just wanted the whole thing to end so they'd all be spared anymore embarrassment than they already had. "What Slughorn said may have been true, but there was a regular way of distributing the potion."

Draco sputtered as he looked around the small crowd before him, standing up as he backed away from them, before finally landing his eyes on Karessa. Her cheeks were slightly reddened as it tinted the deep brown skin she had, her eyes glancing shyly towards him, wide as they could possibly get each time they connected with his.

"All I needed was to swallow some of the potion." She said quietly. "Any other process was unneeded." She gave him an apologetic look as if she were responsible for the way he acted to the situation.

All was silent before Draco's face blanked from all emotion, and he turned to leave the room at a quick and dignified pace.

"Whose potion did he use anyway?" Harry asked out of the blue.

"I believe it was Karessa's." Blaise responded distractedly as he looked upon the girl, but she refused to meet his eye.

"Well then, it seems Miss Daniels deserves the right to win the last vile of _Liquid Luck_, don't you agree children?" Slughorn added in as he stood up as well, and a short applause followed after while Blaise helped Daniels to stand.

She had kept her eyes on the door since Malfoy's departure.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Blaise asked quietly.

She nodded distractedly. "Yes, I'm...I'm fine." she responded. Blaise had his doubts.

Shortly after Malfoy's retreat, Pansy had showed up with Madame Pomfrey, and together with the help of Blaise and Pansy they got the disoriented muggle to the Hospital wing along with the two other fallen students Ron and Millicent.

_That's one way to end a class before a weekend._

* * *

><p><strong>AN****: Oh My God FINALLY! I would have had this out for you guys by the 22****nd**** if it weren't for getting caught up with family and other distractions added along with it. :P I've been so tired lately, but I got this up in time for you so I hope you enjoyed it. **** REVIEW!** **- LoVeRsOfLiFe**


	14. Ignore The Lines We Cross & Quality Fun

**A/N****: (**10/01-2/12**)09/30/12. Heads up guys! There's a good four or five week time skip! Sorry for the late update guys – there's so much going on right now in my life. XP**

_Flashback_

'_Thinking'_

"Talking"

The air was getting colder. But then again it came with the territory of being in the autumn season; so it wasn't irregular to the muggle girl, sitting about the window sill as she traced imaginary figures on the glass whenever her breath would fog it up a little. Dumbledore had asked to speak with her after breakfast that morning when he saw her sitting up by the teachers table, to many of the students' surprise, as she made some friendly chatter with Madame Hooch and Professor Flitwick. Karessa had been standing near the side next to Argus Filch as she played with Mrs. Norris, when Flitwick had called her to his side to discuss some music choices for the next choir presentation. Hooch had been on her other side when curiosity caught the older woman's attention and began a theoretical query of whether a muggle had the capability to fly a broomstick. Flitwick had added his thoughts and inputs, and soon as they got lost in conversation, they had kindly offered the girl a seat. Dumbledore had come to see the whole thing and had respectively interrupted to ask that Daniels meet him in his office later for a private conversation.

So there she was sitting in the Headmaster's office by the window, just staring out into nothing as she waited for her adopted grandfather, lost in thought about the past few weeks. Draco had been avoiding her ever since the 'kiss' in Potions class, and although she could understand his embarrassment, what he did to save face was way out of line. Karessa frowned as she thought back to that day.

"_It's okay, I'm alright." Karessa had said for the thousandth time. It had been shortly after Pansy's arrival and Draco departure that Madame Pomfrey and Blaise had rushed her to the Hospital wing for caring, and no matter how many times she assured them that she would be fine as she was, both wanted to do every test imaginable to make sure. Their reason being that she was a muggle and they couldn't be too cautious or careful in providing her treatment they weren't sure would affect her._

_It was possibly the only time she didn't like her decision to heal herself the muggle way while she remained in Hogwarts._

"_We cannot be sure of that." Blaise echoed his earlier responses to her assurances. He looked to the matron. "What do you think, should she stay here overnight?"_

"_One moment…" she said as her wand scanned over Daniels from her spot on the hospital beds. "There, all done. But I do believe Miss Daniels is correct; she's fine with just a little bump to the noggin, but it's nothing a little rest won't cure." She smiled to Karessa. "You're free to go, dear."_

"_Thank you, Madame Pomfrey." Karessa stood from the hospital bed and patted her skirt down. "We'll be on our way now." She said, grabbing Zabini by the arm and dragging him off before he could convince the kind matron to change her mind about her decision._

_Lunch had been ongoing for at least twenty minutes, which was apparently more than enough time for the whole student body to hear about the accident in the 7th years, Gryffindor and Slytherin Potions class, and for people to randomly walk by and send their regards to Karessa. It was when they sat down at their table that Blaise was beginning to grate on her nerves._

"_Blaise, would you _please_, stop _hovering_ over me?" She begged. "I told you I'm fine, so just relax."_

"_How do you expect me to relax about this?" He frowned seriously at her as he watched her pick up food. "I'm not exactly an expert on muggle remedies, and I'm supposed to be your guardian." He said lowly._

"_Yes, well as such, I'm going to need you to calm down." She said in an urgent hushed tone. "Your magic is spiking again, and it's gaining attention – more than we already have."_

_He sighed in frustration. "I know. Sorry, I'm still working on that."_

"_I know, and you're doing really well with it; your levels are already peaking down." She smiled. "Glad you've been doing those exercises I've taught you." After that it was a comfortable silence for a while with the occasional person walking up to their table to ask how she was feeling – including some of the other Slytherins to their surprise. Lunch carried on as usual, but it seemed Draco wasn't going to make an appearance; not that she blamed him. But then again, it was possible no one knew about the kiss, because not once did anyone mention it, nor did they act oddly towards her when they brought up the accident._

"_No one knows." Blaise stated to her. "Potter and his gang may have seen what happened, but they didn't spread the gossip."_

_Daniels mulled over his words in her head a moment. "Then who started it?" she asked._

"_It was Millicent." Pansy inputted as she sat down across from the two. She looked a little offset from her usual attitude. "She told me about what happened right before I came back." She said, giving Daniels an odd contemplative look._

_Karessa studied that look. "What did she say?"_

_Pansy shrugged, after taking a sip of her juice she sat the cup down again and watched the liquid ripple from the movement. "She told me that while everyone scrambled to find a decent cure, Draco had gone and saved the day when he found the correct brew and gave it to you."_

_Daniels narrowed her eyes, confused by Parkinson's wording. "That's all she said? There was nothing else?"_

_Now Pansy was confused, and a little suspicious. "Yeah, that's all." She said hesitantly, narrowing her eyes now. "Why, did something else happen?"_

_Daniels shook her head in bewilderment as she thought to herself, but Pansy took it as part of her answer. "I was just wondering since I had been knocked out until the point I received the cure. I don't really know what went on while I was out." She responded._

_Pansy nodded understandingly, but she still had that strange look in her eye._

_Shortly after Blaise had to excuse himself, albeit reluctantly, as he had been called for a meeting with the headmaster in his office along with the Head Girl, leaving Pansy and Karessa alone together as lunch ended and they began their final classes for the day. Pansy had been surprisingly quiet, and had stayed by her side for most of the time or waited out in the hall for her when her classes would end. She even skipped her last class to spend time with Karessa since she had a free period. But all the while she looked as if she was working up the nerve to say something to the dark skinned girl._

_It didn't happen until they made their way down to the Great Hall for dinner._

_Pansy stopped her three halls away from the entrance where no one seemed to have walked down the way yet. She stood before Karessa for what seemed like a lifetime with her eyes firmly downcast to the floor beneath their feet before she mumbled something almost completely intelligible to her. Unable to hear her the first time, Daniels asked her to repeat. Pansy rolled her eyes and huffed slightly as she squared her shoulders, looked up at Daniels, and said the most surprising thing the other girl would ever hear from her._

"_I said thank you." She said reluctantly. Karessa blinked at her._

"_You're welcome, I guess…but what are thanking me for?" she asked confused. Pansy seemed a little bashful then as she turned her eyes away again._

"_It – for what you did for me, um, back in Potions." She sighed. "It's just…thank you. I mean, you really…_saved_ me in class today, and you even managed to gain our House a few points, so I thought it'd be rude of me if I didn't show you my gratitude." She muttered._

"_Oh." Karessa seemed a little surprised. "It was no trouble – I would have done it for anyone else. But like I said before, I had already planned to ask my question to the professor on my own, so it worked out pretty perfect with the interruption anyhow." She smiled._

"_I don't know anybody who'd really do something like that for me." She said lowly. Karessa hesitantly took her hand. Pansy looked up surprised by the touch._

"_Well now you do." Karessa smiled. "We are friends after all." For some strange reason that escaped her, Pansy's throat went dry._

"_Of course." She nodded._

"_So what are friends for, Pansy, than to save each other's hineys from time to time?" Karessa laughed. A small pang hit Parkinson's chest as she laughed shortly along with her. In a bold move she took a hold of Daniels's arm and looped hers with the muggle. _

"_You're right, how stupid of me." She smirked. "If I'd have known you could sweet talk your way out of trouble like that, _and_ manage to get us some extra House points, I would have gotten us in trouble a lot more times by now." The girls laughed as they turned the corner to get to the Great Hall, when they were suddenly cross fired by a storming blonde with a hard look on his face._

_He barged right past them, nearly knocking them over when he bumped Pansy's shoulder, and didn't even care enough to stop and acknowledge them, let alone apologize._

"_Draco?" Karessa called to him. When he didn't respond, Pansy turned them around to walk after him._

"_Drakey!" Pansy cried in irritation. The only indication that he heard her was a small winch at the annoying pet name, but he kept his strides long. "Excuse me, you owe me an apology!" Still he didn't say anything. Finally Karessa trotted up to him and grabbed onto his forearm._

_He instantly froze on the spot as he snatched his arm back like he'd almost been burnt by her touch, but she ignored it. "Malfoy." She said firmly. "Where have you been the rest of the day, you weren't in our last class."_

"_What of it, __**Muggle**__?" he said coldly. Daniels was unfazed as she moved to stand in front of him._

"_You didn't show up for lunch either."_

"_What are you, my nanny all of a sudden?" He rolled his eyes as he tried to move past her. "I don't need to tell you my whereabouts every second of the day."_

_She got in his way again. "No, but that doesn't mean I can't worry. I mean in Potions you just…walked out, and I – I think we need to talk." She said subtly as Pansy caught up to them._

_Draco's look became blank as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Why would I waste anymore of my breath on you than I already need to? I've got nothing to say to you." He gritted out. Pansy jostled his arm back as she gave him a narrowed look._

"_Look, she says she's got something to speak with you about, so then you should listen." She screeched at him. "It's not like it'll take that much of your time."_

_Malfoy gave her a nasty look down his nose. "Since when did you start siding with her?" he said snidely. "I thought you had better taste in friends than the low breeds, Pansy."_

_Pansy bristled at the insult. "Sod off, Draco. As if what you've got planned in the future isn't slumming it worse than I am." She bit back._

_Draco gave her a dark look meant to be a warning since she'd forgotten about their company with them. "Well if it's a conversation between me and her, _you_ have no reason to be poking your nose about." He said waving her off uncaringly. "Go back to entertaining your thoughts of Knott for the while as we adults talk, hmm?" Pansy flushed in embarrassment. "Merlin knows he'd never give you a second look. You ought to get lessons for trying to get his attention instead of useless self-defense since Theo clearly prefers beautiful women from the slums, than trashy women not fit to become wives one day."_

_For a moment Pansy looked stricken. Her demeanor changed drastically to something akin to numbness as her posture went rigid. She looked to Karessa as she swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'll save you a spot at the table." she said as a rare look of insecurity flashed across her face, but before Daniels could say anymore to her she turned and quickly made her way to the Great Hall._

_Karessa turned on Draco with anger and disbelief clearly written across her face. _

"_How could you go and say something like that to her?"She said aghast. He shrugged noncommittally._

"_She's too much of a snoop." He replied. "She had it coming, and you know it." He accused._

"_She's your friend." She cried. "And what you said was way crossing the line. She didn't do anything –"_

"_It's amazing to see you defend her when she's only using you." He cut her off as he gave her a superior look. "You know she is, and even though you don't know why, you're still willing to rise to her defense."_

"_Because I see what's fair and what isn't to a person." She said firmly. "That hardly makes me naïve."_

"_No, but thinking you can make friends among enemies is truly foolish." He said gruffly._

"_So what's with the new attitude all of a sudden?" she said incredulously. "Is this because of what happened in Potions? I don't know why you're making such a big deal about it by trying to push everyone away further than you already are."_

"_My, aren't we presumptuous." He drawled dangerously. "You're quite imaginative."_

"_And you're avoiding my allegations." She challenged. "If you don't want to talk about it then fine, but don't go spreading a bad mood around and pushing people away because you've become insecure all of a sudden."_

"_You're also delusional." He muttered doggedly. He tried walking around her again but she stepped in his way again._

"_I'm not letting you avoid this." She said determinedly. "I know something happened which is why you're doing your best to shut me out right now. But you can't keep dodging me because you li–" He slammed her into the nearest wall with his hands shaking as he held her arms in a hard grip._

_Grey eyes were blazing._

"_I don't know if those muggles from where you're from taught you anything, but such blatant foolishness could get you killed by others if you were to ever say something like that outside of these walls." He hissed._

"_You kissed me." She stated simply. "And it wasn't just because you thought that was how the potion worked… It held much longer than that."_

_He scoffed bemusedly at her. "What, did you think I've suddenly started caring about you because of one little _mistake_?" he mocked. "As if one kiss could change my evil mudblood hating ways because it was _you_ I kissed. Don't fool yourself. I've said it once – no, twice now, and it looks like I'll have to say it again."_

_He pushed away from her._

"_You are nothing to me. I see you only as a tool that has yet to be used properly to make my own ends meet." He said dispassionately. He sneered down at her, grabbing hold of her chin. "And so I've tested you for further use once I've gotten the information I need of you. You ought to be grateful that I can use you to an extent that far reaches your actual worth in the world."_

_His lips twisted in a cruel smirk. "No doubt the filth that you call parents have told you that a thousand times before, so it probably is an old concept by now to you." He let out a snort. "They were probably told the same as children. Foolish people that raised a flighty and useless daughter, Merlin they must be so bloody __**proud**__ of you."_

_The sickening crack that followed was a deafening sound to the both of them in the quiet of the hall. Draco took two steps back._

_Karessa brought her shaking fist back down to her side as she stared at Draco with burning hatred. Draco slowly looked back at her, his blank expression masking the pain and shock from her punching him. Looking back at this time, he'd sorely regret everything he said that day and yet know there was no way he could take it all back or make up for his mistake. However, in that exact moment as he looked into her eyes, the stars blazing and glistening from unshed tears, he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she looked in that instant._

"_If you thought kissing me was such a mistake then fine, I'll leave well enough alone." She began tonelessly. "But if you're going to try and play off on me to protect yourself from whatever you're feeling now, then you truly are a pathetic coward." She said coolly._

_He gave her a dirty glare. "I am no __**coward**__. I've been doing things since before the start of this year that you wouldn't believe."_

"_Then why are you hiding from me now?" she challenged. "You've avoided me and anyone else who actually would remember since it happened. You're too afraid to admit you were worried for my safety and reacted upon it to help me the best way you thought." He almost flinched._

"_You're grasping at ideas."_

"_And you're just a scared little boy running from the truth." She said. "You think that by making everyone around you feel insecure will give you power? Cover your own flaws and feelings? It won't. You only end up looking like the pathetic one and I pity you for your own insecurities." That finally broke through his expressionless wall. In a flash of an instant the raw feeling that he'd been shielding from her came forth to the surface, but before she could look further into it or hear what he had to say, she turned and walked away from him._

"_You know how to find me if you're in need of__** my little uses**__. Let's not waste anymore of each other's time, shall we." She toned out as she made her way to the Great Hall._

"_Karessa!" _

_Someone had interrupted her trek once more as she turned to see Ritchie Coote running towards her from down the hall where Malfoy still stood. Ritchie was one of the few who didn't see what happened in Potions like Pansy, where he had been too busy trying to help to notice the kiss, but he did know that Draco was the one to distribute the antidote to her. For that he merely ignored the still Malfoy as he went past him instead of making a snide comment as all Slytherin and Gryffindor animosities dictated. He ran right up to her with a worried look._

"_Hey, Ritchie." She said as he stopped in front of her._

"_Hey, how are you feeling?" he rushed in. "Should you even be up right now? I heard you may have had a concussion." She smiled gently at his concern._

"_It was just a little bump to the head, so I'm fine, but thanks for your concern." She said cordially as she was still very aware of Malfoy watching their little exchange with a heavy eye. Ritchie didn't seem to notice though with his back turned to the other boy._

"_It's just, I feel really bad about what happened, you know?" he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "If it wasn't for me pushing Cormac, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."_

"_Really, Ritchie, it's nothing to worry about." She assured. "It was my fault – I shouldn't have stepped in the way I did." Ritchie shook his head in denial._

"_That's still no excuse on my part, and I want to make it up to you." He said with a determined smile. "How about I take you out this weekend on a trip to Hogsmead?" he asked hopefully._

_Daniels couldn't help the quick glance she casted over his shoulder to the blonde. "Oh, I can't." she said apologetically. "Someone else has already asked me." She trailed as his face fell a little._

"_Oh, so you've got someone else." He muttered almost dejectedly to himself. She was a little too hesitant to alleviate his troubles, and she hated herself for it._

"_No! That's not it at all." She said a little too quickly. "Theodore Knott is already heading down with me and a few friends this weekend, so I don't want to bail on them." That brought his spirits up a bit._

"_Oh, well then in that case, why don't we reschedule?" he said more spritely. "And if the time is inconvenient, I'll wait until you're free." She laughed slightly._

"_You can be very persistent when you want to, can't you?"She teased. He grinned cheekily._

"_Only when I want to. So, what do you say?"_

_At this point she hesitated once more and damned herself for looking over Ritchie's shoulder again at the domineering blonde behind him. She didn't know what she was expecting from him, although she assumed he'd have said __**something**__ since he hadn't moved from the spot she left him at. But all he did was stare aimlessly in their direction, and for some reason that irked her more than would he have interjected. Her ire had made itself known again as a hard look came into her eyes. She looked back at Coote and smiled._

"_Yes. I'll be busy for a little while, but in a few weeks, I promise I'll let you make it up to me for your trouble." Later on she'd try and convince herself she didn't notice when Draco made his silent exit._

Now it was the first weekend of October, and he still hadn't come up and talked to her like she expected he would. It also happened to be the promised date for Ritchie to spend some time with her at Hogsmead. But first she had to finish up with Dumbledore before she'd go meet the others down at the courtyard.

Just then the headmaster walked in, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Ah, hello my dear, glad to see you here early." The elderly man said pleasantly as he closed the door behind him. He walked over to his desk towards where she was perched by the closest window. "Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long; these old bones of mine make me move a lot slower than I used to." He said as he watched her approach him.

Karessa shook her head with a small smile. "No, it's quite alright. I haven't been here long." She responded as she took a seat in front of his desk. Strangely, he moved to that side as well and sat beside her instead of behind his desk like usual. He gave her a knowing look from within those twinkling blue eyes of his.

"Something bothers you, my child, what is it?" he asked gently as he took her smooth hand in his wrinkled one.

Karessa stared shortly at the charred-colored black one atop hers. It must have really pained him to use that hand daily. She sometimes wondered whenever she saw it, whether he would ever think to lose the limb completely if only to stop the pain – since there was no saving the hand at this point.

She sighed. "It's…it's nothing, Grandfather. I've just been a little worried about… a friend of mine." Well, what else could he be? At this point they were a little past acquaintance, weren't they?

The elderly man nodded. "Have you recently talked to this _friend_?" he asked with that all-knowing glint in his eye.

She shook her head. "I hardly see him around now, if only in classes we share, but besides what's been keeping him busy I think he's been avoiding me." Starry eyes went downcast. "The last time we talked it didn't exactly end on a good note."

"I see." He said understandingly. He left a short pause before smiling down to the young woman. "Well fret not, my dear girl." He pat her hand. "Mr. Malfoy is sure to come around soon on his own."

Karessa smirked slightly. "Even 'til now I still don't know how you do that." She smiled as Dumbledore chuckled.

"A gift that comes with old age – maybe one day I'll teach it to you." He responded. "But to finish my earlier thought; I would have asked you here to keep an eye on the young man for me, but it appears I no longer have a need." He smiled warmly at her. "You're doing quite fine on your own without my encouragement, and I feel you've exceeded my expectations just on your own devices."

Karessa gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"That although it may not seem like it now, you've already managed to offer the boy something that he could never receive from his friends; something he's been so desperate for."

"What?" she asked curiously, though she had a feeling she already knew.

Dumbledore leaned towards her. "Understanding; someone who knows how to relate with what he's being faced with, and although it'll take some more time, I know for a fact he'll come seek you out when he's ready." The old man paused as he inspected their hands. "But he's afraid of that knowing – the closeness – about you breaking through his defenses and he's rebutted you for it."

Karessa looked towards the window once more with a distant expression, thinking about the boy in question. "I hope you're right."

Old Albus lifted a withered hand to her cheek, drawing her attention once more as he cast a warm look to the sparkling stars she had for eyes. "You just need to keep trying; because you're both going to need one another in the times to come." Karessa scrunched her brown in concentration as Dumbledore stood from his seat to move back around to his side of the desk.

His last words had a bit of an ominous feel to them; like he already knew something she didn't. However before she could question the statement, the flighty headmaster had changed the subject to distract the young muggle for the moment.

"By the way, Minerva would like to have me thank you once more for the cake you gave her." He smiled. "She said it was splendid." The young girl laughed lightly.

"You can tell her she's flattering, and most very welcome."

It had come to Karessa's attention a few days prior in the week that Professor McGonagall had a birthday within the first week of October. As a small token of gratitude for the elder woman in helping decorate her private rooms, the young woman had decided to bake a birthday cake. With the helpful and ready hands of the house elves, she provided direct instructions for her own recipe and made a two layer cake that she used her spare class to drop it off for McGonagall in her office. To say the woman was ecstatic would have been a gross understatement as she insisted in sharing the dessert with her Transfiguration class she had the next period. It was an embarrassing introduction to the class of her peers as the many took good portions of her cake and complimented frequently, but it was worth it to see the kind older woman smile the way she did.

Dumbledore opened a drawer from his desk, searching through a small stack of parchment he had in there as he addressed her once more. "Now, I wouldn't want to hold you up anymore than I already have – I know you've got plans to go into Hogsmead with a group of friends today." He said. "I just wanted to check on how you were doing so far, and if I could ask a favor of you, my dear."

She nodded. "Of course. What would you like for me to do?" Dumbledore let out a cry of triumph as he pulled out what he'd been searching for. A silver red envelope with the Dumbledore's crest on it, and a hauntingly familiar name was scrawled on the face.

"As you are already heading into town, I was wondering if you could send off this letter for me?" she hesitated only a moment before taking it and placing it safely in her shoulder bag.

"It's no trouble – I'll remember to make a stop at Hogsmeads' post office before heading off with my friends." She said distractedly.

Sensing her unease, Dumbledore reached a hand over to pat her own. "It'll be alright, Ressa, I promise." He said gently. She smiled.

"And you've never broken a promise to me before." It was a natural response, and a small amount of dialogue they both were familiar with. In a way it comforted her enough to forget about her disquiet for the person the letter was addressed to. She walked around to give the man a hug and a platonic kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Grandfather. I'll pick you up a pack of lemon drops from Honeydukes."

"Oh, how you spoil this old man's heart." He said dramatically. He waved her off. "Have a fun time, my dear, and if you happen by Mr. Zabini or Miss. Granger, do tell them I'd like to see them for a discussion later."

"I will, and thanks!" With that, his adopted granddaughter shut his door, leaving the elder man to his troubling thoughts.

He sighed. "The poor girl has to suffer through so much pain." He rubbed tiredly at his eyes as he went to stand by the window. His eyes took on a distant expression much the same as Karessa had when he happened upon her in his office.

"It'd do her some real good for her health to escape them every once and a while."

After grabbing her coat she headed towards the front doors where the gang would be waiting for her to finish up with the headmaster. She dressed in black boots, a simple dark green wool dress, and a hat to match as she met up with her group for the day. It was a little comical to see two Gryffindor boys stand awkwardly across from three Slytherin girls as both parties looked like they were trying hard to think of something to say that wouldn't insult the other. Ritchie had brought his friend, and co-beater Jimmy Peakes along so he wouldn't be the only Gryffindor surrounded by mean, judgmental, and prissy Slytherin girls – Jimmy's words, Coote had assured her – and so he wouldn't be the only boy in the group.

The boys and girls were standing on opposite sides of the walls to the door as they did their best to ignore each other, but both perked up a little to see Daniels walk onto the scene. Ritchie was the first to walk up to her with a ready smile.

"You ready?"

"I am if you guys are." She responded. "Let's head to the carriages before the day wears on."

It had been an awkward carriage ride down to the village as the boys didn't really know how to engage into polite conversation with Pansy, Millicent, and Daphne, and Karessa had to often initiate a subject to talk about just so the ride down wouldn't set everyone on edge too much. Ritchie had been particularly self-conscious with himself every time he either tried to hold her hand or drape an arm behind her, he'd lose his nerve whenever Pansy or Daphne would catch him and either just stare him down, raise an eyebrow, or just smirk at him. It was almost a game to them.

That is until he finally had enough of it.

"Do you have a problem?" he said as politely as his ire could allow. Pansy smirked and shared a glance with Daphne.

"Oh, nothing." She said airily. "Is there a problem with you? You can't seem to hold still for very long." She said sweetly.

"Not to mention your hands seem to be going everywhere." Daphne muttered. Jimmy snorted from his seat beside her as Ritchie sputtered.

"They were not _everywhere_!" he cried as a hot blush colored his cheeks.

"Well they probably would have been if you weren't so concerned with us looking at you." Jimmy piped up as he stretched an arm on the back of the seat behind Daphne and Pansy. The brunette snorted while the blonde looked slightly impressed. Ritchie gave Peakes an indignant look.

"Thanks for having my back, partner." He grumbled embarrassedly. Jimmy raised his hands in a careless manner.

"Hey, I'm only telling the truth. At least you haven't spat any milk on her yet though." He grinned. Pansy and Millicent keeled over in fits of laughter while Daphne looked astonished. Like she'd suddenly seen Jimmy in a new light.

"You're joking? Who was it?" she asked him excitedly. He turned his attention to her with a devilish grin.

"Casey Doggins." Daphne let out an amused gasp. "The boys on the team forged a note to her to help him out a bit in fourth year just before the Yule Ball, when she went up to him at lunch."

"Oh, _Merlin_." Coote groaned into his hand.

"Then what happened?" Daphne asked expectantly.

"Doggins had just caught him in mid swig of his milk when she tapped him on the shoulder." Peakes went on. "His cheeks were stuffed as he turned to her and she came to tell him that she accepted his request, and went on about explaining the note he _allegedly_ wrote for her."

"And?" Jimmy sent a devious look to Ritchie.

"And that's when he sprayed her in a jet of milk as he choked on the shock."

"No!" Pansy said amazed. Jimmy nodded.

"Came out of his nose too; a nasty but incredibly funny sight to see." The girls were falling over themselves in laughter while Karessa tried to politely keep her composure as Ritchie shook his head in mortification. Daniels took a hold of his hand.

When he looked up at her she smiled gently.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure you've had a chance to swallow before opening any conversation with you." She teased. Ritchie smiled, and the tense air was lifted in that small carriage as everyone talked in comfort of one another.

When they had reached Hogsmead, Ritchie had pretty much changed his mind about bringing Jimmy along, as he had spent the majority of the time talking about Coote's mishaps and rare clumsy occasions. So he had suggested that the group split for a little while as he would take Karessa around, while Jimmy could entertain the other girls as they did a little shopping. They all promised to meet up later at the Three Broomsticks for a bite to eat before they'd head back for the day.

With the added pressure gone and the embarrassment receding the farther they went away from the others, the more relaxed and at ease the other boy became. Finally Ritchie was as he was whenever he and Karessa would occasionally run together, and conversation between them was pleasant with some lighthearted humor. He even managed to drape his arm around her shoulders at one point in a store they stopped at. She had found that little connection they shared once more, but it left the girl wondering why he couldn't keep that confidence and ease in the presence of others while he's under scrutiny.

They had passed through a few shops as Ritchie needed to run errands to get his Quiddich gear up to shape, but after that had been done, they migrated over to Honeydukes like most other students had taken to conjugate. It was when she went about filling a bag with lemon drops that she realized something.

"Hey, Ritchie, can we make one more stop before we meet the others at The Three Broomsticks?" she said. "I've forgotten my own errand I needed to run."

He nodded. "Sure thing. We've spent most of the time going to places I needed to get to, so it would hardly seem right to turn such a request down." He smiled. "Besides, the more time we spend out here, the less I'll have to suffer from embarrassment of those guys."

Karessa chuckled. "Alright, let me just pay for these and we'll be on our way."

After purchasing the candy they made a detour to the post office there as she went in to mail off the letter Dumbledore gave her. Coote had waited patiently just outside the door as she got the letter out and went inside. Only to neatly smack right into someone as they were leaving, with a long package in hand. When she looked up, Daniels was a little startled to see Draco standing before her with a small frown on his face, but the moment passed as he brushed past her uncaringly.

Not dwelling too long on the strange encounter, she sent the letter off with a look of thought before going back out to Ritchie awaiting her return. Ritchie had became a little bolder as he had reached down to hold her hand as they talked all the way to The Three Broomsticks, and she gave him credit for keeping some of his wits about himself when Jimmy exclaimed, "Finally! I thought you'd never lay a hand on her." He blushed quite brightly, but he handled the tease a lot better than before as he didn't inch away from her once they sat down with their group and ordered their meals.

Time flew by in an instant, but Karessa was still troubling herself about thoughts of Draco and their strange encounter earlier. There was something about the way his eyes hardened, and how he looked right through her, that seemed so unsettling. It was like he hadn't really been there or seen her when he had left the post office with the parcel he received in hand.

It gave her the shivers.

"Hey, are you cold?" Apparently they were noticeable too.

She gave the brown haired boy beside her a placating smile as she closed the top of her jacket more to her neck. "Only slightly, but it's nothing I can't handle." She said. Ritchie unwrapped his Gryffindor scarf from around his neck and put it around her.

"Well don't go acting all brave on my account." He smiled lightly as he loosely tied the scarf in place around her neck. "We wouldn't want you getting the chills when you've got me here to stop them for you."

She laughed some at that. "Yes, well thank you. Today has been quite fun, and I'm glad you and Peakes got along alright with the girls. I really appreciate that." She said sincerely.

"Think nothing of it." He said as he grasped her hand again. "It was nice to see that smile on your face though. So how about one day I take you out on a real date next time?" he asked. There was the hesitation on her part again as she looked into the boy's sweet, expectant eyes. He was a great guy and she didn't know why she kept thinking back to a much brighter and intense color in place of the ones here. More importantly of whom those lighter eyes belonged to. But right now she had to give him an answer.

"Ritchie, I –" Just then a scream emitted the air.

Looking ahead the two teens could see a flurry of commotion as students gathered around one spot. As they rushed up to see Harry Potter and his gang as well as Daniels' group members, they were aghast to see a girl twitching and shaking on the ground. Her body looked possessed as it flit across the ground in quick motion before being flung up into the air, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly. Yet there was something wrong, something eerie...Her hair whipped her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression...Then, six feet above the ground, she let out a terrible scream. Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. She screamed and screamed...

Karessa put a hand to her mouth.

It was Katie Bell.

Suddenly it was over just as it fully began. The brunette's body began to fall and the muggle girl sprung into action under a split second, as she ran past everyone and sank to her knees, sliding until she was just under the girl's falling range. She caught her as the two slid back a little further and Karessa looked down into her expressionless eyes as she moved her hair out of her face. Katie was still twitching in her gentle hold.

"A bloody good catch, that was." Ron said in amazement. Karessa looked up at him and the other surrounding students.

"Thanks." She said.

"Everybody move back!" Rubeus Hagrid had just made it onto the scene. He went over to Daniels and gently scooped up Katie from her hands as he picked her up. "Stay away from that package, do you hear!" he said as Harry bent to get a better look at what had caused such a reaction in Miss Bell.

There, lying out of the cover wrap was a beautiful opal encrusted necklace sitting half on the ground and the other half still on the display stand it came with.

"Be careful not to touch that!" Hagrid warned Harry. "Only the outer wrappings and nothing else, do you understand? Now follow me." They were his parting words as he directed the lot of them back to Hogwarts in a surreal calm.

As Hagrid rushed the girl to the Hospital wing, McGonagall had asked to speak with everyone present upon the happenings as she asked them a few questions, as well as include professor Snape for a better look at the necklace they brought in. It still chilled her to think that Katie was lucky to be alive. It was a cursed necklace, and Katie herself had been under the Imperious Curse to deliver the necklace to someone in the school.

She was supposed to give it to Dumbledore.

An odd shudder went through her as she walked the halls alone after McGonagall saw her off and left Potter and his friends to speak with her. Ritchie had gone off with Jimmy a little while before she had along with Pansy and the girls, and they said they'd meet up with her later when the Transfiguration professor had finished with her.

Her body tensed some as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The thought that this would be the day the spy would confront her flitted through her mind even though she could generally hear nothing but her own footsteps in the empty corridor. But before she could do anything a pair of strong arms encircled her waist and clasped a hand over her mouth before bringing her to a nearby alcove. At first she had been ready for a fight, but the moment the person's smell hit her, she didn't resist the unyielding hands that held her firmly. He took his hand off her mouth when he saw she wasn't going to panic at his abrupt grasp and stayed in place as she turned her head to look behind her.

What awaited her was a pair of storm grey eyes.

"We need to talk."

**A/N****: OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY GUYS! So much has happened in the last few days that have been delaying me, but I'm still trying to get back on track. I won't make this a normal thing, promise! XD**

**- LoVeRsOfLiFe**


	15. Parcel Received Tension On The 1st Meet

**A/N****: 10/30/12. GUYS REMEMBER TO CHECK BACK TO CHAPTER **14** IF YOU HADN'T SEEN THAT I REPLACED THE AUTHOR'S NOTE WITH THE **_ACTUAL_** CHAPTER! I WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU THINK! :D**

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><p>Karessa shrugged off his hands roughly as she glared back at him. "This is starting to get really old." She spoke tonelessly. "But I guess it can hardly be helped since you're so afraid of what people would have to say if they saw you pulling me into dark and secluded places."<p>

"I don't give a fig what other people have to say about me."

"So you keep trying to convince me." She said dully as she stared back at him shrewdly. He looked away from her as he glared down at the floor and shuffled his feet around in an uncomfortable fashion.

"I've got more important things to be worried about than people judging me." He muttered more to himself as his shoulders slumped, in an uncharacteristically, defeated manner. Although he said it lowly, she still heard him just fine, and the statement got the wheels in her head turning.

"But it's still a habit for you to keep _some _appearances." He looked back at her, as if coming to from a daze. He stared down at her, sizing her up from head to toe, when his vision stopped just below her face. His eyes narrowed as his shoulders squared once more.

"Where in Merlin's name did you get _that_ awful thing from?" Daniels grew confused with the question, and looked down to see what had caught the force of his strangely angered glare. There she noticed something that hadn't originally belonged to her. Red and gold surrounded her neck in comforting warmth.

"Oh, do you mean the scarf? Ritchie gave it to me on our way up here when I got a little cold." She turned perplexed eyes onto the younger Malfoy. "Why?"

The blonde before her snorted as his demeanor suddenly turned to one of arrogance. "Don't go spreading the idea in your head that I care. I just thought you'd have more taste than to go out with _Coote_."

He gave her a look then before a smirk twitched across his lips.

"Actually in all honesty," he began to circle her as he paused, "I didn't think you were truly going to go through with your promise when you blew the man off that first time." He stood at her right flank as she only indicated she was paying him any mind by titling her head minutely in his direction. "Thought you were just putting on a show for me, knowing I was just a few paces away."

"Now who's putting delusional thoughts into their head?" she raised a brow at him when she turned her head to glance at him from the side. Of course she knew he had been referring to the day of their accidental kiss and their big blow out later that evening. It didn't matter that she had wanted to see Draco's reaction at the time, if only to see how far their odd 'relationship' had changed since the incident in Potions, but how dare he assume he'd be the only reason she'd want to go out with the other boy.

"I'm just saying." He shrugged. "Your performance looked pretty convincing." She shoved past him and walked the hall once more.

"Was there a particular reason as to why you chose to harass me today? I've got more important things to do than have you waste my time right now." She said, not in the mood to entertain his ego for the day. He followed close to her heel.

"It's because of that, that I've come to you now." He said almost conversationally. "So we're not wasting any more time." She gave him a puzzled look.

"What?" He rolled his eyes as he took one long stride to cut her off and grab a hold of her forearm.

"Wasting each other's time; you've said that a few times already, so I figured you'd want to start pulling those strings on our arrangement now." He gave her a pointed look. She scrunched her brow.

"You want to start that _now_?" she asked.

He released her arm as he shrugged nonchalantly. "You said to come find you when I was ready to start, so here I am."

She crossed her arms. "Yes, and if you'd also remember, I said that I wasn't going to be waiting around for you – and I'm not going to just dump my plans because you've suddenly made up your mind." She moved past him again as he stared after her in disbelief. "I have other priorities at the moment."

A frown appeared on his face. "You have other _priorities_?" he spat. "Like _what_, snogging Coote in your private quarters?"

"I got no reason to explain myself to you." She said coolly over her shoulder. "It's none of your business what I do on my own time. If I get things done accordingly, I'll see you later for our first 'session'. Until then." She waved back before disappearing around the corner.

"Hey, now hold on a second!" Draco made his quick way to follow her. "What exactly a–" He turned the same corner, only to interrupt himself when he saw the girl was nowhere in sight…despite there being a long distance of hallway between the last and the next.

'_What the – How did she disappear so quickly?_' The blonde grunted in frustration.

"Bloody hell am I supposed to do now?" he muttered to himself as he left the scene in a worse mood than he already had been in. Although, he really could only blame himself – he had been the one to agitate the situation more than it already was between them. Did he really expect her to listen to anything he had to say after the things he said all those weeks ago?

It certainly didn't help loosen the tension with anything else he added in the last few minutes.

Lost in his own musings, Malfoy failed to notice the dark imposing shadow in one of the alcoves of the long hallway he had cornered Daniels in. As soon as the young man had left, the person stepped out and glanced in the direction both teens had departed to.

Dark eyes narrowed scornfully.

* * *

><p>"There you are." A relieved voice said. Turning to glance behind her with the shining stars she had for eyes, Karessa could see the tall dark skinned Italian make his way swiftly towards her from uphill. He gave her a disgruntled look. "I've been searching all over the castle for you – put up quite the trouble to find." He said.<p>

Making it hard to find her was actually Daniels's plan from the beginning. After her last encounter with Draco, she felt a need to get her mind a little sorted out, and felt that she just had to get away from everyone for a while. If not from the blonde crusader, then from Pansy & the girls, the teachers, Dumbledore, the Golden Trio, _everybody_ else…she just didn't want to handle any of their questions at the moment. It was either about getting to know her more out, or they'd come to her for an idea about what had happened with Katie.

Even from Blaise she could feel the wave of curious energy surrounding him, but if there was anyone in the whole school who had a semblance idea of what she was feeling at that time, it would be him. Their bond was stronger than ever, and training was going smoothly – at least one thing was going her way right now – and she could be grateful for that, but even in her emotional turmoil, Karessa just didn't want the company. Although he meant well in looking to check on her, she just didn't have the patience or resolve for any of his inquiries either.

Her mind was driving her through an emotional rollercoaster, and it was getting exhausting.

She shrugged noncommittally. "I've been around." she breathed on a sigh. "Kept busy, and didn't feel like having an interruption." This was true.

Blaise nodded as he left an open pause to the conversation. "So I heard about what happened today down at Hogsmead." He began.

She gave him a tired look. "And?"

He moved closer to her. "I wanted to see if you were okay." He said softly.

Karessa sighed. She tossed her long hair around. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Blaise paused again as he took in a better look at her. "Then I take it this mood isn't from what happened today?" she turned her head away as she shook it minutely. He switched the weight on his feet. "This about what's going on between you and Draco?"

Daniels didn't look at him nor say anything. It wasn't a question.

Zabini reached forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm still here to knock some sense into him if you need." She chuckled slightly and he smiled at her. "I'm also here to talk if you want to."

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I thought you didn't like what was going on with him." Blaise smirked.

"I don't." he stated. "Which is why I offered to pummel him first, but fact still remains, that no matter what I say, you've got your own plans and will only half listen to my warnings. You've got a good head on your shoulders – _that_ I can trust, but it doesn't stop me from being a little wary since you never really clarified what it was you were doing."

For his efforts, Blaise was rewarded an actual sincere smile, despite it being small.

"I would on other circumstances." She said. "But this is something where the less people who know, and the little anyone else is involved is key. I don't want you getting caught in between this."

Almond shaped hazel eyes rolled at her in response. "Yeah, I got you." He said evenly. Another argument they sometimes brought back up. Blaise knew why she was here, but as for the side things like with Dumbledore and Draco, she'd only given him short summaries of what she was doing so as not to jeopardize him, or herself.

They walked on in companionable silence for a while, and even if Karessa would have preferred to be alone, she could admit it was still nice to have the dark Italian at her side. Always lending his strength in the subtlest of ways when discretion was called for…it made her wonder when exactly their turning point to becoming this close of fully understanding each other. Enough to know what the other needed without words to describe it –

Unconsciously she reached up for the chain ring around her neck.

– She'd never felt a bond like this since…

"So where are you heading anyway?" The young man's voice broke her out of her deep thoughts. She brought her hand down to her side. Looking up to Zabini, Daniels could see the curiosity in his eyes, but also the worry behind it. He must have noticed her change in demeanor again and sought to distract her. She was grateful for that.

"Well, Hagrid had sent me a message saying that the package I'd been waiting for had arrived earlier this morning." She began. "So I was meaning to go visit and check it out myself in case of damage."

Blaise scrunched his brown in thought. "What was it you were expecting?"

She grinned slyly and shrugged at him. "Guess you'll just have to see for yourself."

Blaise frowned, but didn't comment as they continued walking down the hillside path, and to his confusion moved on to head into the Forbidden Forest.

"Um…"

"Don't worry." She smirked. "I know how far to go." Despite her confidence, her companion didn't receive any comfort from the notion of going into the forest when daylight was already dimming, but he held his tongue about his unease – the last thing Blaise wanted was for her to start teasing him, even if it would probably bring the girl's mood up.

As Blaise kept an eye out for their surroundings Karessa led them deeper into the woods, to darker and denser forestry where what little sun was out began to disappear with the thick foliage. Blaise wonder many a times if she really knew where they were going, and then the thought of her taking daily exercises through here started worming its way into his mind. What could happen to her out here without him or anyone around to look out for her? Karessa had no magic to protect herself against creatures of these dark woods, and even though he had confidence in her hand to hand combat skills, this was utterly different in his mind. Maybe he should start accompanying her more often out on her early morning jogs; even if it meant getting up at the ungodly hours before classes, the young Zabini was willing to pay the price.

"Blaise, will you stop flaring your magic – it's going to attract unwanted attention." Blaise broke free of his musings to look down at his partner. She was staring up at him insistently with her shoulders tense and eyes hard. It was then he could hear the dim sounds of other creatures in the distance loitering about as they passed through. Everything was really tense and the air around them seemed to be going stiller and stiller as Blaise's senses went on high alert.

"Calm. _Down_." She hissed as she glanced unassumingly around. It was a ploy of course to make it seem that she was at a relaxed state, but with the training she and he had done, Blaise could tell she had gone on high alert.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm just anxious right now."

She smirked back at him. "Worried about my sense of direction, really, Blaise, sometimes I wonder if you could be anymore insulting to my survival skills." She shook her head in disappointment. "Then you somehow find a way to surprise me every time with how little you think of my capabilities."

"It's not like tha–!" She brought a finger up to his lip.

"Lower your voice. We are in one of the darkest parts of the forest now; and we don't want any more attention on us than we've already gained." She said in a low tone as she smirked at him. "And I'm only messing with you. I know you worry about me, but this is not the time or place to let your thoughts cloud your rational mind." She reminded him of their situation.

A warm blush stained his cheeks a little.

"I need you to keep a steady head right now to censure your magic from the beasts that could be tracking our movement."

"I got it." He said. Within moments he got his aura under control, and within another few breaths the noise of the woods began anew to its smaller degree. Karessa nodded at him with a proud smile on her face.

"Much better." She commented. She nodded her head in one direction ahead. "Come on now, we've almost reached –"

_**CRACK!**_

* * *

><p>"…Blaise? Are you alright?" Karessa asked worriedly as she kneeled before him.<p>

"Ye-yeah," he said a little dumbfounded as he stared past her. "I'll be okay." She smiled apologetically at him as she glanced over to what caught the young man's attention. She got up and walked over to it.

"I'm really sorry for not informing you earlier." She reached a hand up. "I should have forewarned you, and for that I'd hope for you to forgive him on behalf of my inconsideration." She said.

Blaise just stared at the odd scene before him for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. He just couldn't fathom what he was seeing – but then again, how often was it someone got to witness a 5 foot something girl pet a vicious, strong, 8 foot something dog.

But what really took the cake was that it had three heads.

_Most definitely not a sight a chap would often see._ Blaise thought uncomfortably. _I guess it really doesn't matter the size – so long as it's an animal, Karessa Daniels seems to be the one able to tame any beast you put before her._ Was his rather dry thought as he watched the large dog wag its tail ecstatically at being pet by the said girl. It made it hard for him to get his bearings in standing up while that tail kept sending vibrations through the ground and making it shake – it was a wonder how Daniels was holding out fine on her own two feet being so close to the cause of the rifts.

Blaise glanced at the broken down trees nearby. It was a quick and unexpected attack by said creature before them. _Fluffy_, that was the beast's name? – had come barreling through in a speed not quite what he expected from a beast that big in such thick forestry, but Blaise had been quick on his feet thanks to his training, and had managed to dive Karessa and himself out of harm's way as the trees fell from their positions. He had quickly sprung up to defend them both as he faced what he had assumed was his opponent, only to be struck by surprise at the hybrid standing tall above him. it was ultimately the distraction that was his downfall as Fluffy had charged them faster than light and swatted the Italian with a heavy paw into some of the still surrounding trees.

Blaise winched at the thought. The landing had dislocated his right shoulder in the process, which was lucky as he had put up a shield at the last second and lessoned the damage to his body. If he had failed to do that, he'd no doubt have had more than a few broken ribs and limbs from the force of the blow. It was only as he was aiming an offensive spell as it advanced on him with a vicious snarl that Karessa situated herself to stand between them and intercept either of their next strikes. As she insisted in a demanding tone for them both to stop, two of the dog's heads snapped at her as it growled and barked angrily at her, as it began to charge. Blaise had called out for her to move out of the way, but the muggle held her ground as she stared down the three headed monster.

In a hard tone she demanded the dog to 'halt!'…and surprisingly it did. It took the guy completely off guard to see that the command worked, and apparently the animal too as it began to sniff at her curiously. But then out of nowhere, his tail started wagging and his tongue flailed out – very bad breath – and suddenly the monstrous beast transformed into an overgrown puppy looking for attention. _Fluffy_ nudged his big wet noses into the girl's face and yipped happily at her from all three heads while on Karessa's part she began cooing at him about how _such a good boy _he was being.

To say Blaise was struck dumb would hardly be considered a gross understatement.

A heavy thump alerted the young man out of his thoughts as he looked over to the girl in question, only to see that Daniels was now rubbing the large canine's stomach as he had flopped down and rolled onto his back.

"Oh, this is ridiculous." He muttered rather irritably.

Karessa lifted her head in his direction. "Did you say something, Blaise?"

"Um, yeah." He said over to her. "I was wondering if this was what you were referring as your package." He asked.

"Oh, oh, no!" she laughed. "Fluffy here belongs to Hagrid. He's been watching over my mentioned package while I haven't been around." she gave the giant beast one last pat and got the dog to stand up once more as it nuzzled her affectionately from the back.

Blaise scoffed lightly. "Remind me to never follow you into dark woods again." He muttered as he stroked his sore arm. Karessa had reset the joint a little while ago after the whole fiasco was over.

The muggle girl giggled as she took a hold of the young wizard's arm. "I'll be sure to remind you every chance I get." She teased. They walked by Fluffy – he gave Blaise a precautionary growl once they passed – and moved further into the deep underbrush. "We're just about there, if we managed to come across Fluffy like we did, so Hagrid shouldn't be too far."

"Glad to hear."

And sure enough, there was the half giant waiting in a small clearing surrounded by trees. He sat on a fallen trunk with a slightly awestruck expression on his face in which both teens could see when he glanced their way shortly. It was then Zabini got the second shock of his life upon spotting another creature there with him as he had moved just enough to reveal what he had been gawking at.

"Ain't she beautiful?" Hagrid said as he turned back around to admire the new beast.

Karessa smiled proudly as she crossed her arms and moved closer. "As expected of her breed." She said.

"Is…that…a tiger?" Blaise said bewildered as he cautiously moved forward.

A tiger was what his mind had told him, but it had to be the most unique he'd seen yet. Placed with a black iron cage, this large cat was at least two sizes bigger than the average four legged species, but that wasn't the domineering factor. It was the fur. A deep, raven black color served as its coat with snow white stripes to show its lineage, sharp long saber-toothed canines displayed its predatory status, and five inch retractable razor-like claws, completed the cat's overall look of an exotic beast. Even to the wizarding world. Wild blue eyes shone bright with intelligence far greater than any other creature Blaise had ever seen.

This was quite a stunning animal.

"How perceptive of you, Mr. Zabini." Karessa chuckled slightly. "Yes, Alla is part of that cat family, but what makes her special is that she's a hybrid of their albino gene." Karessa and the tiger, Alla, met each other at the closest barred wall.

"Remarkable." Her companion breathed.

He watched as the girl stuck her hands through the bars fearlessly to hug the large cat around the neck as it nuzzled its head to her. "Hello my girl." Daniels said affectionately as the cat purred quite loudly. She pulled back a little to get a better look at her tiger as she addressed Blaise. "I've been so worried about her the last few weeks. I was delivered a message from home saying that she'd finally be shipped to me at the next earliest date. As you can imagine, that could have meant they'd send her over between the days I received word, to possibly a year."

"Just out of curiosity, and I don't mean to sound offensive," Blaise began. "But what exactly made it so important in having her here with you?" he asked. Karessa smirked over at him.

"Why, she's my familiar, of course."

* * *

><p><em>Six bloody hours<em>. That's how long he had spent looking around and waiting for that insolent muggle so they may begin their arranged meetings. How it was possible for the majority of the school to be looking for her, and _no one_ had seen hide or tail of her, he didn't know. Not even the professors could shed some light as to where the girl had gone off to. He had a suspicion the headmaster knew from the twinkle he had caught in the older man's eye, but there was a likelier chance of hell freezing over than the Draco Malfoy asking that old fool for help. But still…

Six. _**Bloody**_. Hours.

It was enough to make him pull his hair out in frustration, and _almost_ think about asking for someone's help, but prideful as he was, Malfoy would never be caught dead asking for help. Looking down at his watch, as he often found himself doing that day, the young blonde growled low and he continued to walk aimlessly around the empty corridors.

Six just became seven. He couldn't take anymore of this. It was an hour after midnight and Draco had still yet to find the girl who'd managed to elude him all day. But what troubled him most was that no matter how he'd complain, he still wasn't ready to stop searching for her. It had been a nagging thought in the back of his conscious for the past few weeks since their _incident_ occurred, and Malfoy hadn't been able to get that look she gave him out of his mind.

On the rare occasion he felt like apologizing, the person deserving it was nowhere to be found.

The fates were testing him, and he wasn't too sure he'd be able to prove them wrong by holding out. To his credit, Malfoy had in fact searched rather thoroughly for the girl, but had no luck in catching wind of her. The library, the Quad, that ogre's hut, the dungeons, her room; the woman was nowhere to be found! It was only a little while after when he finally stopped to make a slip for the Astronomy tower to hide from Filch when he went by making his nightly rounds. Sighing, the frustrated blonde looked out at the view of the night sky as the thin clouds didn't do much to cover the bright quarter moon from lighting the castle grounds up.

Draco enjoyed being up in this place at night. As high as it was, it was peaceful and after a long day of bustling around other students and teachers alike, it was nice to find someplace to get away from all the trash and drama that went around the school.

And that's when it hit him.

Suddenly like a stampede of griffins heading to a watering hole for a cool drink on a hot summer's day, it hit him hard. It was one of the most obvious places she'd be after that disaster at Hogsmead – he winched at his thoughts – the one place he failed to check and it happened to be the more likely spot she'd pick for their meeting that would ensure their privacy.

He knew where she was.

* * *

><p>The owlry was less crowded with birds and had become a lot quieter due to the decrease in flock. After all, they were birds of night, and thus it made sense for many of them to head out and hunt for prey, at this time. Although, in truth it didn't really matter either way considering Daniels would have found peace with them all even if the owls were squawking about. She was currently sitting up on the third ledge to the ceiling just looking out to the night sky as the moon flittered in and bathed the small room in light. Her right leg was bent close to her chest where she rested her chin as both arms held it there, and her left leg was swinging over the ledge below. Draco's giant eagle-hawk had stayed up and kept her company through the wee hours as the day dwindled, and had comfortably perched himself on her bent knee as she stared off into the blue.<p>

Curious to get some of her attention, he plucked at a loose hair by her cheek and gently tugged on it from between his beak. In her half inner state, Karessa was conscious enough to smile slightly at the gesture and bring her left hand up to stroke at the bird's feathery neck fondly.

"It's about time you got here." She said evenly. "I was wondering whether I should have left after the two hour mark hit."

After visiting Alla for a long while with Blaise and Hagrid, she had eventually wandered back to her room to do some work, but thinking better than to stay put, she ventured to the owlry for some much need seclusion. Since then she stayed there as not a soul came by that day, so she enjoyed the peace she had been looking for, while at the same time waiting for Draco to eventually find her. But then, she never expected him to take so much time as he did; it made her wonder if he really had no clue or if he had been toying with her again.

"Well if you had told me from earlier _where_ we were going to meet, you wouldn't have had to wait on me." The storm grey eyed man said snappishly. Daniels looked down at his dark figure from her perch.

"I had told you before, that we'd meet _only_ if I got what I needed to be done for the day." She lifted her feathered companion from her knee as she dropped down to the floor below. Hardly a sound came as she touched down. "I assumed you had wanted to take this seriously by the way you rushed me earlier this day, but it appears I may have been mistaken." She condescended while placing her hands on her hips.

Draco sneered. "Well _forgive me_." He said rather sarcastically. "I _apologize_ for making you wait."

"That's not what you should be apologizing for." She stated dryly. The tone actually had him flinching as he casted a wary look to her narrowed eyes.

The tension between them increased immensely to the point of stifling, and the remaining birds could feel it too as the two humans stared at one another in awkward silence. It didn't seem like things were getting any easier for them, and at this point meeting up was just becoming a waste of time. Just as the boy worked up to say something, his female counterpart turned her back to him to step up to the open window on the main ground.

She sighed. _I should have known better; he's not going to admit it and I'm just wasting the both of our times right now with this._ She thought. _But still…I know I can't walk away from this now._

Karessa leaned heavily on her arms as she rested them on the window sill. "So how do you want to play this?" she said with much reluctance. He was silent for a long while as he stood back and watched her for a moment. She really was beautiful, and he could admit that quite easily to himself. He could also admit that what he had said, how he had treated not only her, but Pansy as well that day was uncalled for and was meant to strike a nerve – which it had. The question was; what had set her off? Was there a truth to what he said or was it a self-defense mechanism in order to protect her parents' names. Whatever it was, Draco Malfoy _knew_ she deserved that apology he was meaning to give her – he knew Parkinson deserved one too…but now that she had blatantly challenged him, and said in not so many words that he _should_ apologize…

He clenched his fists to his sides as he fought not to reach out to her.

…His pride wasn't going to let him do it anymore. He'd now have to push on and wait for another chance and hopefully change all this damage created – all again for his stupid pride. Why it meant so much to admit to her he was wrong, it still escaped him, but as long as the feeling was there he'd rather do something to get rid of it than keep it down any longer than needed. But when would another chance occur?

He stepped up to her.

"We do this based on an _Unbreakable Vow_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN****: Anybody else hate it when the internet screws with you for a week, right when you're about ready to post a new chapter? Well here it is, sorry if it's not very interesting, but I've made it kind of "**a filler**" for the next chapter will be a little more climactic! Happy Halloween Everyone!**

– **LoVeRsOfLiFe :P**


	16. One Without the Other: Ying & Yang

**A/N****: 01/01/14. HAPPY NEW YEARS LOVELY READERS! My God a full year since I've finally been able to finish this chapter, and I'm so sorry for keeping you guys waiting. Thank you all who stayed! I had posted a teaser for 12/12/12 to make it more epic, and because I didn't think I'd be able to get the full chapter to make it in time lol :P So without further a due – read away my lovelies!**

* * *

><p>"A dance?"<p>

Daniels took the poster from Blaise's hand as he sat down beside her to inspect it curiously. It was a moving picture of a girl and boy smiling and waving towards whoever looked at the poster. Both were wearing regular clothes in the current teen fashion of the time as the girl disappeared off to the side, only to bring back what looked like a changing screen. She and the boy presented it like they were rearing to sell it, right before the boy took a hold of the other end and the girl walked around him, effectively wrapping the young man inside the now squared dome. Knocking on the side, suddenly the front of the change screen opened up like a door, and the boy stepped out wearing fine robes as the girl gave a dramatic display of showing him off like a magician's assistant.

It was ironic that the poster made to seem like that of a magic show for muggles than to showcase a grand event for wizards and witches. Karessa smirked a little at the thought as she watched the boy pull of the cloak he was wearing and had the young woman take the hand in which he held the material. He spun her in place a few times as the long fabric wrapped around her, and then with a quick tug, unraveled her to show her dressed in a formal ball gown. For the last effect, they pulled out their wands and a flicker of sparks flashed out to produce the title of the event, and for a pair of masks that they placed over their eyes as they posed.

"An _All Hallows Eve Ball_." He responded in fake enthusiasm as he took back the small poster, and stabbed a fork into his meal. "Apparently the Headmaster saw it fit that we have one this year, considering it would be another change added for the time you spend here."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Understandable." She laughed lightly. "I guess this is the dawn of the day for breaking traditions then." Blaise smirked.

"I guess you're right." The two companions shared a secretive glance before setting back to eating their own food. A short while after, Blaise started up the conversation once more.

"So, I couldn't help but notice a certain…_tension_…has lifted from Slytherin house recently." He gave her a furtive glance. "Almost like a change in the air."

Karessa retained the smile she wanted to let loose. Things had certainly changed

_Her mouth nearly dropped to the floor at his proclamation as he just stood there and grinned at her._

"_Have you completely gone off the deep end?" Came her incredulous question. At the first sign of his confusion to the phrase, she continued on before he could ask about it. "Of all the things you could have come up with for this arrangement, you choose an __**Unbreakable vow**__." His grin returned shortly after that as he shrugged._

"_I figured it would catch your attention." He simply stated. He fiddled with an inner pocket lined within his robe, where he then pulled out a thick folded piece of parchment. "It's not exactly an Unbreakable vow, but it is a magical contract nearly as strong as one."_

_Handing the thick papers over to Daniels, he watched her open it to read through what had been written on it, and as her eyes travelled further down, her eyebrows travelled further up to her hairline. She raised her eyes to his deep grey ones as a delicate brow lifted._

"_This is a _**marriage**_ contract." _

"_Reconstructed for our purpose." He said._

_She gave him an incomprehensible look. "What on Earth goes on in that head of yours?" she said dubiously as she shook her head. He rolled his eyes._

"_Is that not the reason for why we're doing this; to figure each other out?" he asked. She didn't answer as she asked her own question when she looked at him once more._

"_Isn't this a little beyond far-fetched? This is a _binding_ contract from the old ages." Karessa stressed, "Back in the times when divorce was not an option. A reconstruction or not, this is something that will not only tie us by word, but by _**soul**_." A strange expression came across her face that Draco couldn't put a name too._

"_It's so…__**exposing**__. Do you really want to be bound in such a way – and to someone like _me_?"_

_Draco had thought long and hard about this before he even confronted Daniels for such a proposal. He felt that the old contract would have been the best solution for most of his problems in getting her to open up to him. Despite her word, he'd still never trust her to tell the truth – at least not the whole thing – should he ask a personal question, but therein lays her own trust issues. The whole point of the 7__th__ years bet was to uncover this girl's secret because she was very closed about it all, and of all the people she did trust, were somehow apart of the grand scheme. He needed her to trust him to break he defenses, but he also needed insurance that she wouldn't deceive him in the future. A little ironic that even should he receive her trust,_ _he_ still_ wasn't willing to give her his trust. _

_The contract killed two birds with one stone. In binding themselves it meant revealing one's innermost feelings, and sometimes seeing what the other saw so that should someone lie, emotions would show their true colors. This was both the down and upside to this. The thought of being so exposed, as she had said, was discomforting to him, but allowing such a thing to happen showed that he trusted her to a point. This meant in turn, she could put her faith in him to keep her own secrets._

_There was a short pause after her question that he admitted to seem like he was thinking over his decision, but didn't leave too much room for thought before he responded, lest he give the girl an opportunity to back out through his hesitation._

_He shrugged nonchalantly at her. "If I had a problem with it, I wouldn't have brought it up, but if it makes you uncomfortable we can think of another way of agreement." He said._

_It seemed to be a fair trade off, so he'd stick with it._

_This time Daniels let a small silence fall between them as she gauged his expression, for what Draco wasn't sure. But moments later she seemed to come to a decision as she stretched out her hand to give him back the parchment._

"_So how do we do this?" she asked once more._

"_Give me your left hand, and I'll show you."_

_Giving the blonde a strange look at first, Karessa warily stretched her hand out towards Draco, which he quickly took to clasp with his own, as if they were prepared to arm wrestle. The position confused her as he turned his hand to make it look as if their arms were twined together while their hands were pressed flat against one another._

"_What are yo–?" A sudden bright flash of light interrupted her question as it zipped out of Draco's wand pointed towards their conjoined hands. The light dimmed and shaped itself into a thin line that felt warm on their skin as it coiled like a vine around their twisted arms._

_Draco put his wand away as he stared intently at their hands for a moment. "Five conditions." He said. Karessa looked up at him confused by the statement._

"_What?"_

_He glanced up at her. "Five conditions," he repeated. "Think of something, and for each one thought, recite before saying it; __**upon this bond, we share thy vow**__. Then one by one our fingers twine together as well." he explained._

_He cleared his throat. "I'll go first…Upon this bond, we share thy vow; to always be truthful to one another." As his voice rang clear to the end of his vow, Draco curled his thumb down around Karessa's as she did the same, and the little thread of light snaked up to wrap around both their ring fingers. Draco looked up to Daniels expectantly as she contemplated their next vow._

"_Upon this bond, we share thy vow; to allow one another, without fear of judgment, to speak freely of our thoughts and feelings to one another." She twined her index with his as another band of light curled around their ring finger. She looked up at him and he nodded for her to think of another. _

"_Upon this bond, we share thy vow; to not betray one another's confidence to any other in what we speak of to only each other." Another strand was added._

"_Upon this bond, we share thy vow; to always trust in one another of our well-beings and safety." Starry eyes showed a hint of surprise, but no comment followed as the owner thought hard about the last condition to be made. It was when she glanced up once more to the blonde and caught that strange look in his eye that the thought occurred to her._

_There was a heavy pause as Daniels thought about the proper wording she'd use for their last vow._

"_Upon this bond, we share thy vow; to be, even at the other's worst, the comfort and security one another needs." Draco gave her a rather bowled over look as their eyes connected. It was quite obvious he hadn't expected such a regulation from her._

_To be each other's comfort…_

'_Does she really trust me that much to be such a dependant?' he wondered to himself, but didn't linger on the thought as his partner was looking at him expectantly. As the last thread twined around their fingers, Draco pointed his wand out to their joined hands as he muttered a quick spell that slit the tip of the one digit for the both of them. It allowed a small bead of blood to seep out of their identical wounds and onto the rings of light, turning the bright hued bands into a deep glowing red._

_Draco glanced up to her. "Repeat these words after me,_

"_From this bind, I take my place, _

_To share one's love and one's hate. _

_A part of destiny two spirits entwined, _

_One heart, one body, one soul, one mind. _

_To my other half, this I swear, to guide, protect, and hold with care. _

_My soul, to only you I will bare, Karessa Daniels,"_

"_Draco Malfoy," She said._

"_I promise you, this I swear." He finished. _

"_I promise you, this I swear."_

_As soon as the words were spoken the red rings burned brighter around their fingers as an odd warmth sunk into the base of their skin. The light eventually simmered down as the red hue tinged back into a golden tone until the light completely vanished from their clasped hands. There in its place around their ring fingers was a tattoo of symbols around the digit, engraved in their skin with dusts of gold brightening the spot. It was almost like an actual ring had been placed there._

_After an awed moment of silence, the pair looked to one another, and upon seeing the same expression that their own faces were sporting, they smiled at each other. Draco and Karessa had spent the rest of the night to the early morning talking after that; simple things about themselves as neither were quite ready for some of the big questions they were bound to come across in the near future, but they had discussed in short length about the argument they had, and shared their thoughts about how he'd spoken to Pansy. Karessa was at least grateful to hear him regret what he'd said to the small brunette all those days ago and apologized for his actions, but when it came to their particular argument, Daniels had insisted that they continue the discussion on a later date. _

_When enquired, she simply said it was an old wound reopened and she wasn't up to talking about it just yet. So not wanting to pry too deep and leave on a bad note they ended their conversation and parted ways to ready for school in the next few hours, a definite promise left between them that things would continue on another time._

* * *

><p>The day after, Malfoy made his peace with Parkinson.<p>

"You know, you should work on that all-knowing grin of yours. It gives you away far too quickly." She smirked behind her drink when she heard the answering snort.

"I don't just mean with tall, blonde, and brooding. You and the girls seem to be getting along much more nicely than from when you arrived." He noted.

Karessa shrugged. "We've spent a lot of time together within the past month or so; it was only natural that we'd come to be a little closer than we once were. Though even wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt, I still find myself wondering about their geniality towards our friendship." She admitted.

"Perhaps even that will change over the course of time as well." He responded.

"Perhaps."

* * *

><p>In another part of the castle, someone had just been cornered.<p>

"_Well_?" Someone asked agitatedly.

"W-well what?" the cornered one asked warily. An exasperated sigh followed after from the first.

"Enough games already!" the first screeched quietly

"Yeah!" a third voice whispered harshly. "We've been waiting on your direction for weeks now, and _nothing_."

"I, I'm working on it." The second responded as they tried to dodge the imminent question.

"No more thinking." The first said harshly, eyes narrowed. "We're almost out of time, and you're here wasting every ounce of it by playing 'best friends' to a _muggle_."

"Oh, sod off, Daphne!" the second one snapped to the first, who now was identified as Slytherin's Daphne Greengrass. "If it was such a big issue before, then you should have said something sooner instead of complaining. I didn't hear any other ideas coming from _you_."

"Come on, Pansy." The third, who happened to be Millicent Bulstrode, unveiled the second speaker as Ms. Parkinson. "You must have a plan – it never takes you this long to come up with something, even if it's a total dud." Pansy glared at her friend for that.

Daphne snared her nose up as she gave Pansy a belittling look.

"That is unless; of course…she's just _hesitating_." She said to rile the girl up. "Gotten a soft spot for the little muggle have you?"

"And I suppose you haven't?" Pansy accused her blonde friend.

"Wait, you actually admit to _liking_ that girl?" Millicent interjected in shock.

"I at least know where my priorities lie first hand." Daphne responded to Pansy, both ignoring their confused friend.

"Oh admit it, Daphne, because I know I've already come to terms with it." Pansy said, exasperatedly stroking a hand through her hair. A heavy sigh left her lips.

"She's grown on me – on _all_ of us."

"So what, just because I've gotten to know her a little better does not change the fact that we've still got a bet to win, and our due date is catching up fast." Daphne responded.

"I know," Pansy said dejectedly, "I'm just trying to sort through exactly when I stopped seeing her as just part of the game, to someone with feelings we've been manipulating."

"Newsflash, we've been doing that for weeks now." The blonde rolled her eyes. "Besides, this is a closed deal, it's not like she'll find out about it since everyone is under oath to keep it hush, hush."

"Besides, you'll feel a lot better about the lying once we've won the pot." Millicent inputted.

Pansy still seemed pretty hesitant about it all as she worried her lip, and for good reason. Out of the lot of them she'd been the most interactive with Daniels in the past month and she'd seen a whole new light to the girl no one knew. The reason that made Parkinson so conflicted was the fact that Karessa was genuinely a nice person. Unlike most Slytherins, she was completely honest with everyone else. She had no means to demean others for what they lacked, and treated everybody as an equal. This set forth the breaking of the chain for any Slytherin, and made her well liked by students from the other Houses. Pansy has experienced such likeliness as well as her kindness. She'd have to have been foolish or blind to not have noticed the change in Draco and Daniels' relationship, and more so if she ever thought Draco's apology a few days back had not been influenced by the other girl's insight. But not only that, Pansy felt as though she were really looking at the person beneath all the anonymity.

Even if she never gave anything away in some of the conversations they'd had Pansy could see some of the girl's character slipping through with each passing day. It seemed she was always lost in memories whenever there'd be a pause in conversation or just companionable silence. Sometimes the brunette would even catch the change in Karessa's – muggle, the _muggle's… bullocks! Shouldn't have to remind myself of that _– emotions should they come across something familiar to her past, or she'd explain an odd thought she had that retained back to her home life. It made Daniels even more a mystery, but it also brought some clarity.

She was pulled out of her musings as Daphne gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Her expression showed a minute sign of guilt, though she'd probably deny it if confronted about it. "We can grow a conscience later, for now we need to concentrate. So are you still in this with us or not?"

Pansy thought a little more on it, and although her hesitation was clear, she'd made her decision. "We've come this far, it'd be a waste to end it without trying. Maybe the end result won't be so bad." She said, and it placated her two compatriots.

She just knew she'd live to regret this.

* * *

><p>"Happy Birthday, Karessa!" Things started out on a positive note for Daniels one morning, a week before the dance, when a surprise awaited her outside of the Great Hall. There were two small presents held up by equally small pairs of hands right before her that she'd been momentarily stunned from her musings for the day ahead. Upon seeing her two favorite first years she smiled widely at them as they beamed up at her.<p>

"Oh, girls, thank you so much." She said, appreciatively taking the gifts. "But how did you know it was my birthday?"

The two little mischief makers just giggled to each other as they entered the Great Hall with Karessa.

"Oh, you know, just a little _birdie_ told us." Kaity laughed.

Karessa laughed lightly. "And by _birdie_ do you mean…?"

"Can't tell you!" they both chimed. "We're under oath to not say a word about it." Natalie's cat-green eyes sparkled in mischief. Before the older girl could inquire further of what they meant another gift in the form of a charm bracelet was dangling within her vision as it brushed against her nose and the two girls used the distraction to make their escape.

She shook her head as they ran off. "I don't suppose it was you then?"

"About this? No," Blaise's stunning hazel eyes drifted into her range of sight over her shoulder. "I found out from the same bird as they did. As everyone else too, I'd imagine." He shrugged with his hands in his pockets after clasping the bracelet around her wrist.

It was a beautiful piece; two simple silver bands braided together with vines delicately crafted into the metal to give it a more casual look for everyday wear, and there was one charm that dangled about like the first blossom budding on a tree in Spring. It was a smooth, rectangular block with an ancient rune symbol like the ones in the book that they'd used for Blaise's guardian ceremony, meaning "Protector". She wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but the way the bracelet looped, it seemed to be missing a third band that tied it altogether, but maybe she was imagining things. The thought put into the gift made her smile nontheless as well as the melancholy feelings welling up inside her when thinking of how long it's been since she even celebrated her birthday.

"Well thank you very much for the gift." She said placing a friendly kiss to his cheek. "And I think I will dedicate my time into finding this bird." She smiled. "I'm pretty sure I already have an idea where its starting nest is."

It turned out her hunch was right in finding that the obvious source was the headmaster, but as to who was passing the word around school was unknown, seeing as Dumbledore had not made an announcement that morning nor the night before to the students about it, and the old man had a twinkle of mischief in his eyes that could only mean he was holding something from her that he had every intention in keeping to himself.

So throughout the day she'd continue on with her normal schedule, getting the odd present here and there or best wishes from some people she hadn't even been properly acquainted with; and that surprisingly extended into all Houses as well as teachers she did not see daily. But just as peculiar was that some people had based their gift from the one Blaise had given her, and her second last period, found that her charm bracelet was near filled with little trinkets. Whoever started this must have also known her schedule pretty well and what routes she often took for travel as the intervals between charm gifts were given in almost timed sequence from leaving and entering a class. Not only that, but she was going to need a break soon in order to drop off her presents back at her room, least she risk dropping them through the halls as she moved along. She only lasted as long as she did thanks to the convenient treat basket Dumbledore gave her when she went to see him that morning. However, by her 15th gift she felt she reached her limit and changed course she head back to her room.

Of course in that moment she ended up bumping into someone upon turning a sharp corner. This actually turned into three certain some ones. Karessa had caught herself in time so she wouldn't hit the floor sprawled out, but the same couldn't be said for Pansy, Daphne, and Millicent as they toppled over one another from the unexpected collision. The star-eyed girl tried to contain her amusement at the chorused "Happy Birthday" let out in three identical groans, while helping each individual girl up, apologizing for knocking them over.

"That was the most awkward birthday surprise I'd ever been a part of." Daphne commented dryly.

"What about that time in 5th year during summe–"

"That _never_ happened." The blond said doggedly, interrupting Millicent before she could say anymore.

Daniels laughed lightly. "Again, I'm really sorry I hit you guys, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going."

"That's alright. We were supposed to run into you at this point anyway." Millicent commented offhandedly, the other two sporting looks that could only be considered deer-caught-in-headlights.

Karessa became confused. "What do you mean you were supposed to?" she asked.

Before Millicent could answer, Pansy and Daphne slapped identical hands across her mouth in lightening speed, laughing awkwardly as they tried to brush off their friend's goof. "Oh pay her no mind," Pansy said. "That fall must have mixed up her words."

"What she meant was, we were actually looking for you earlier." Daphne elaborated. "We were hoping to run into you, although not so literally." she laughed.

"Oh, well I'm just heading back to my dorm to drop off some of my gifts; I'm kind of running out of arm space."Daniels responded.

"Then, would you like some company, we can drop off our own gifts as well." Pansy suggested, pulling her hand away from her dimwitted friend and joining her arm with Daniels' free one.

The dark skinned girl smiled at the brunette. "Sure, always welcome to have company." As they walked ahead Daphne sent a warning look to Millicent as she took her hand away from her, and Millicent gave her a bewildered shrug, her head shaking helplessly as if silently saying 'it just slipped out'. They followed after shortly from then, all four girls chatting easily as they made their way through the halls; the trio dodging the muggle's prodding questions on whether they knew who had orchestrated the gift sending her way.

"So you guys do know who started this all?"

"Yes." Millicent responded.

"But you won't tell me who?"

"Nope." Daphne grinned.

"Not even a hint?"

"It would be too obvious that way." Pansy said. "And you can take _that_ as a hint if you want."

"Oh, come on." Karessa huffed, looking between the three. "Is there really a point in keeping it secret?"

"Stop complaining. Besides, it's not like people are being forced to give you best wishes or presents. They want to." Pansy stated with an eye roll. "Now, enough of your prodding – there was another reason we came looking for you." Karessa gave her a curious look.

"We were wondering if you wouldn't be too bothered with us spending your birthday with you for the night." Millicent blurted out in excitement, backtracking shortly after to seem a little calmer. "The other Houses often get the chance to share a person's birthday in the House common rooms. But since you don't share the dormitory with the rest of us, we thought we could spend the time with you opening your gifts at your rooms instead."

"We could even make it a sleepover." Daphne suggested on. "Whatever suits you by then will do."

"Yeah, that would be nice." The dark-skinned girl thought aloud as they made it to her dorm wing. "Alright, how about we all head back here after dinner and I'll open the presents I hadn't got a chance to look at yet, but maybe we should postpone the sleepover until the weekend – I've only got one shower, and as girls it's very likely we'll end up being late waiting on each other should you stay the night with classes in the morning." All four girls shared a laugh at that, wholeheartedly agreeing with that notion.

So after dropping off her presents in her room, and a promise with the girls to meet up again in the evening, they went their separate ways to their final classes for the day. If only she'd known what was in store that night.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Karessa looked back over her shoulder at the unexpected voice to see Draco standing in the archway to the Owlry. Leaning on his side with his posture relaxed and his hands in his pockets, the blonde painted the epitome picture of calm as he watched her from his post. "Hiding out once more from the public, I see."<p>

She rolled her eyes at him. "It's nothing like that." Finished tying her note to the small parcel she lifted her arm clad in a deep brown leather glove where a white hawk with little flecks of black perched contently. She looked upon the bird fondly. "I was just sending a small package off to home."

"Someone important back home?" he inquired after a speculative pause. She held the silence a moment as she stroked the pure-coated bird, turning her back to walk over to the window, strengthening Draco's curiosity as she deliberated her answer.

She looked back at him; her mouth parting as if she were to respond, though he could see sparse thoughts racing through her mind, a strange far off look glazing her dazed eyes.

"…You could say that person's the ying to my yang." She spoke gently. "In a sense, I wouldn't quite be complete without them." Another silence hit them that neither party was eager to fill. Even though they were working on their communication, it still left much to be desired for the both of them to open up more readily to the other – like where their relationship stood.

Involving especially where their relationship stood.

At the best of times they seemed like acquaintances moving into the blooming stages of friendship, while at others it felt like there was something more between them based off of physical attraction and a common understanding that they seem to be dealing with the same problems in their life – if not by the same backgrounds, but thrown into similar situations. Neither had divulged into the full truths of their current statures, but they had talked briefly of how their roles in life burdened them, as well as the responsibilities and expectancies of them since birth. They found a common ground and worked with, both taking unexpected comfort in the knowledge that they weren't alone; that they equally had someone to talk to. It was in these moments where the expanse of their feelings blurred into undivided lines, and where awkward silences filled the tension.

Like the one currently taking place.

Karessa kept her eyes away from his as she pet her hawk distractedly. Draco cleared his throat before straightening up.

But then again, like in all budding relationships, hearing from one side of the party that there was someone out there that made them '_whole_' was a better conversation _**ender**_ when the other party might be investing…ignored feelings into them. There really was no answer but silence to such a confession.

Ah, silence; barricades to their progress, but nevertheless small ones they were slowly but surely working around.

"So," he began in a façade of disinterest. "Was this person the same pen-pal you've been writing to the past month or so?" he asked nonchalantly, brushing invisible dust from his blazer to avoid looking at her or seeming too ready to hear her answer.

Daniels looked up at him unexpectedly. It was the first time he'd mentioned her letters since the first one she'd gotten at the start of the year despite his obvious curiosity whenever she'd receive one during breakfast every few days. "Yes, it's the same person." She answered openly.

He glanced her way at her tone. "Been a while since the last, hasn't it?"

_He noticed that too…_ she thought to herself incredulously. Her expression deflated a little as she turned back towards the window and set the hawk off on its course, watching it fly through the pinks, reds, and oranges of the sky that built twilight. "Yes, it has." She left another pause between them as they both watched the bird fly away until there was no sign of him in the beautiful landscape before she spoke once more.

"It worries me." She said in complete honesty when he glanced at her again, taken aback at the unhidden fear beneath her swirling eyes. She had said it as a statement, but her eyes spoke volumes of a long lost hope inside her and something else within those depths that he was only seeing a small glimmer of now. If he chased it there could whole new possibilities from which their relationship could grow, but he was having trouble producing words to respond. Seeing this she waited patiently for him to say something to her, and when it seemed like he were ready to speak, taking a small step towards her, their moment was interrupted in the form of Theodore Knott.

"Oh, so sorry." He said with a devilish grin, looking between the two occupants. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No." Karessa looked to Draco when he spoke, but he wasn't giving her eye contact. "Nothing you'd be interested in." he said, an uncomfortable clenching in his chest when he saw Daniels deflate a little in his side vision, Knott shrugging in response, unaware of the new tension seeping into the room.

Leaving without another word, Malfoy passed Theo on his way out, turning slightly to see the other boy go straight to Daniels and produce a rose for her as he wished her happy birthday. Steel eyes noticed the fake smile in place and lingered in the archway long enough to get her attention where he mouthed the words "later" to her and saw the forced smile turn into a more sincere one before leaving the Owlry altogether.

_Got to keep her happy if I'm going to get anywhere with this bet._ He thought to himself as a means to justify his actions. At least in seeing that open look in her eyes once more before departing alleviated the unknown pain from his chest.

* * *

><p>Theodore accompanied Karessa all the way back to her room, his reasoning being that it would be ungentlemanly-like to leave a young woman in the coming of night to walk back to her room alone when anything could get at her. He just couldn't have that on his conscience. Knott was charming, flirtatious, if not a little bold with his interest in her, but he was also courteous at respecting a woman's boundaries and honest, which Karessa liked about him. They had spent quite some time together outside of the self-defense class she was teaching, and found his company enjoyable and humorous as he told her all kinds of stories about their friends from childhood. A good guy who was pretty open to change that she could easily find herself taking seriously in his pursuing of her if it weren't for the fact that he was spoken for in a sense. She'd have to be blind to not notice that Pansy had eyes only for him, and she couldn't count the many times she'd spotted him glancing the girl's way anytime he thought no one was looking.<p>

But that was another working project she'd pursue in small stages, or else risk being discovered and having them pretend even more that they don't fancy one another.

"Surprise!" She was shocked back into herself as she opened her door to find a large group of people on the other side with various magical party hats atop their heads making outrageous noise, or spouting colorful streamers and confetti at her. Looking back at Knott she could tell by the large grin on his face that he knew all along. However what surprised her most was that out of the faces she recognized in Slytherin, there were also faces from the other Houses mixing among the crowd. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood with Lavender, Neville, the Patil twins, Luna, Ritchie and Jimmy, Cho, and two Hufflepuffs from her art class she became acquainted with.

"Oh my gosh." She said breathlessly, a blinding smile on her face. "Was this what all of today was leading up to?"

"Yep." Ron smiled widely. "Hermione had planned it all out." He said gazing down adoringly to the blushing girl at his side.

"Actually, I didn't." she said quickly. "The idea had come from an anonymous source in the form of a note. As Head Girl it seemed like a bright idea to do something that would help you become more welcomed into Hogwarts while you're here."

Karessa furrowed her brow in confusion. "So you don't know who started this either?" she looked around at everyone's faces.

"Not a clue." Harry spoke, then smiled as he walked up to her with a present of his own. "But it was a bloody good reason to host a party, don't you think?"

She laughed in agreement with the others. "I'm just surprised how complacent you all are being with each other. I would have expected wands ablazin' just being within 20inches of each other."

"We're at a standstill in war for the moment." Pansy said from the couch, twirling a red streamer in her hand.

"Why ruin a good day with disdain and contempt?" Ritchie smiled as he sat and placed his arms on the back of the brown leather couch behind Pansy and Daphne.

"We'll behave ourselves long enough to see what kind of gifts people thought would be nice for you." Daphne said crossing her legs with a smirk.

"And maybe we'll find out who put together the charm bracelet for you by the end of tonight." Luna's wispy voice drifted from the snack table. All the Slytherin shared a secretive smile.

Theo draped his arm over Daniels' shoulders. "So what are we waiting for!" he said guiding her towards the small mountain of gifts on the glass table she had in the center of the room. He placed her in the reading chair and handed her the first gift. "Let's get unwrapping."

It turned out people had some pretty good sense in gift giving. Aside from the charms everyone was given to hand out to her, they produced their own contribution along with it. Ron's gift had been the supply of party hats and decorations – compliments from the _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes_, and also a bribe to make one of those special cakes of hers come his mum's birthday at the end of the month.

'_It'd been a brilliant pastry McGonagall shared with the class that day – a topnotch present to trump me siblings. I'd be really bloody grateful to you_' he had said, and of course Karessa had agreed without much persuading.

Hermione had given her an array of decorative parchment kits, to send her letters in, and to compliment it Pansy had given her new quills with the peacock feathers she so loved in assorted colors. Daphne gave her some of the finest jewelry she'd ever seen, Millicent gave her imported colognes from all over Europe, Harry produced a muggle's cooking set and spice selection – how any of them managed to get these in such short notice was beyond her. Beauty products, clothes, glass figurines enchanted to move, memorabilia photos of her and the others from the trip to Hogsmead, and many other little trinkets; all wonderful gifts for a day she hardly remembered on her own anymore. She was incredibly grateful to them all for doing this for her and she told them so without hesitation.

"Well of course." Harry said with a small smile. "No one should ever celebrate their birthday alone." Everyone agreed with the sentiment wholeheartedly, and the genuine sincerity in hearing those words were almost strong enough to bring water to her eyes. It really had been a long time since she'd been happy on this day, that she'd forgotten what it was like to share it with people she cared for.

It was nice.

It was about this time when the thought occurred to her that a late present in the form of a little barn owl carrying a bouquet of rose buds, all only in their first transition of blooming despite the season. Within the various tangles there was one flower that differed from the others. A bright yellow Costus Spectabilis surrounded by its traditional four leaves. Pulling out the card from the bunch it read:

_**To a blossoming new future, and another year passing,**_

_**May you bloom as brightly and boldly as these flowers, for the final picking draws near,**_

_**And you've grown into a fine piece worth collecting.**_

_**So to ensure such delicate fingers not draw blood from this gift, **_

_**All prickled thorns were cut down for best received.**_

_**Well wishes,**_

_**Anonymous **_

"How interesting…" she thought distractedly to herself.

"But why would they give you only one flower fully bloomed and the others only budding?" Ritchie asked, reading the card from over her shoulder.

"Probably so the gift would last longer." Pansy said as she took the card from the birthday girl and read it over before handing it to Milicent next with a shrug.

"It's probably a symbol." Daniels said as she placed the flowers in a vase with water on the table. She continued to stare at them speculatively. Blaise scrunched his brow in curiosity.

"How do you figure?"

She pointed to the flowers. "The stamp tag said they were imported from Italy. The card had indicated _'the final picking draws near_' as well as '_collecting'_, and if that were the case it would be referring to what's called the _Moussem des roses_."

"The what?" Ron asked.

"It's a festival held once a year in February for Moroccan culture." She responded. "They celebrate the end of the rose collecting season. While the one flower that has blossomed is called Costus Spectabilis, more commonly found in tropical areas such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Sierra Leone..."

"…So, is the gift supposed to mean something, then?" Harry asked.

"I have a feeling it does…if only for the fact that someone knew where I was born." She said ominously.

"Italy?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Morocco, you dunce." Daphne said rolling her eyes at the ginger. Ron scrunched his brow in anger and opened his mouth to say something when Harry beat him to the punch.

"Well it looks like the no-hostility agreement has reached its near end." He said standing up with a congenial smile. "I think it's time we headed back to our dorm now; gotten rather late I'd say."

Taking the olive branch he provided, Daphne kept her mouth shut and let the potential argument go with a careless shrug. Everyone started putting themselves back in order before giving Karessa last wishes and hugs as they left her dorm in an orderly fashion. Right as she was saying goodbye to the Golden Trio, she heard someone ask from the hall "What is he doing here?" and out of curiosity stuck her neck out the porthole to see Malfoy lurking at her door.

Hermione and Ron stood there in slight shock, the latter scowling warily at the blonde as he made his way closer. Harry was the first to say something though – or at least making a sound of acknowledgement with a tight "Malfoy" at the end of it.

Draco nodded back to him and responded with just as much disdain. "Potter."

After the awkward silence permitted longer than needed, the Gryffindors felt they exceeded their welcome and left with one final parting to Daniels and the other four Slytherin still lounging in the girl's sitting area. When they left Draco was left staring at Karessa and vice versa.

She smiled tentatively. "Hey, I wasn't expecting you to show up."

"Hmm." He responded with a noncommittal sound. Then suddenly his eyes shied away from hers as he pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to her. It was a deep sea green gem in the shape of an eight-pointed star dangling on two small silver strands that ended in clasps. It was the third band missing that would have completed her bracelet and link the individual charms she received throughout the day for the first two main bands. When Daniels took it from him she could feel letters engraved on the side of the thin band, and upon further inspection saw that it read "_Dragon Made_" in Latin.

Dragon made…dragon…_Draco_…

She looked up at the tall blonde in astonishment. "Y-you did this – for me?"

There was chuckling in the background from the spectators behind her that neither of the two paid any mind to, especially as Draco started shifting his eyes in every direction but Karessa's face. Instead he shifted them to her wrist which he took in his hand as well as the band he'd given her and started tying it with the charm attached into the group.

"I hadn't really done anything. I had heard from the Headmaster talking about your birthday so I mentioned it Blaise, who said something to Granger, who no doubt passed it on to others around the school." He muttered to her wrist, shrugging once he'd finished. "It may have been my gift for the charm bracelet, but I didn't tell Zabini to distribute ideas to people on the trinkets to give you." He looked into her eyes and almost regretted it instantly at the grounding smile she was giving him.

"I can't remember the last time someone gave me such a thoughtful gift." She said in pure honesty, the shine in her eyes startling. "Thank you." She said, and she meant it.

He knew she meant it.

He nodded. "You're welcome."

"Alright, then." Daphne stood up with Pansy and Blaise. "We'll hang back and help you clean up." She said, snapping the pair out of their own world.

"No, no, no guys, really I've got it covered," she insisted, taking two empty cups near the door and tossing them in the trash, Draco following her inside. "Head on back to your dormitories, you wouldn't want to miss curfew on my account."

"Oh, rubbish!" Pansy said, waving her wand to summon an elf from Hogwarts' kitchen to help gather the leftover food, while she and Millicent used levitation spells to collect cups and plates. "We're not about to leave you to clean up after your own surprise party."

"That just wouldn't seem right." Blaise smirked.

"Besides," Daphne sidled up to Karessa, placing a friendly arm around her. "We're not about to leave you all alone with _Drakey-poo_ so he can take advantage of how _grateful_ you really are to him." she winked cheekily. Dark skin blushed lightly while steel eyes narrowed coldly at the teasing girl.

"I think I can manage, Daphne."Karessa said, clearing her throat from embarrassment. "But thanks for the concern anyway."

"I'll stick around too." Karessa looked at Draco.

"Are you sure?"

"It's not like I have anything better to do." He shrugged, rolling up his sleeves.

With that they all got cleaning, finishing within the hour as everyone rested on the comfortable furniture around the room afterwards and talking a bit longer as night descended upon them. Karessa watched Malfoy pick up her bouquet on the center table and turn it between his hands.

"Strange taste in arrangement you have here."

"That was one of her gifts." Pansy told him, lifting up the card and brandishing it. "From someone more anonymous than you." She teased.

Draco scoffed and took the card from her, glancing over it. Releasing a snort he raised a brow at Daniels. "Delicate fingers and prickled thorns, huh?" she rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, stuff it. I don't know who sent them."

"Someone with a very corny sense of gift giving."

"There's the pot calling the kettle black." Draco choked; Daniels smirked, and then frowned in concern when he cried out unexpectedly.

"Bloody hell!" He said, shaking his hand through the air agitated. "I thought there weren't any thorns in there."

"The card said they'd all been plucked." Karessa said in confusion.

"Well apparently not since the bleeder just pricked me." He said, sticking his finger in his mouth when a bead of blood rose to the surface.

Daniels smiled. "I guess there were a few survivors after all." She grinned. Steel eyes sent a glare her way, and right when he was about to open his mouth to make a witty response, the room was disturbed by a loud bang.

Jolting up they all turned towards one of the windows in the room to see Karessa's white hawk trying his damnedest to get in. She rushed over and made swift work of opening the window, the bird flapping its wings in a flurry as it landed on his mistress' outstretched arm, agitated as it was squawking incessantly.

"Hush, be calm my Purelight." She cooed to shush the bird.

"What's gotten him in a tizzy?" Blaise said watching the girl soothe her frazzled pet.

"I'm not sure." She said. "But it looks like I've got another late present on my hands." She said looking down at the hastily wrapped parcel tied to the hawk's leg.

Blaise groaned, raising his arms as if in surrender as he muttered to himself about another anonymous gift giver. "Alright then," he smiled lightly. "Let's see what's in this one." The girls whooped their agreement, clapping all the while as Karessa laughed, setting the bird down.

"Alright, alright." She placated. "We'll read the card first." She opened the folded paper to find that it was more than just a greeting card, but a small letter. "It says; dear Princess," the girls oohed as one before bursting out into giggles, Daniels shushed them to continue reading. "We are sorry to inform you th–"

She stopped abruptly.

Brow scrunched in confusion she continued reading the letter silently to herself, mouthing certain words as alarm slowly spread across her features. Stopping she hustled to open the package only to pull forth a gold chain, broken in two with a white gold ring, emerald gem at its center. Aside from the gem, and the unknown red substance splattered across the band, it was dead ringer match for the one she wore around her neck. Touching the piece self-consciously her finger began shaking as she lifted the letter again to read what she missed and completed the message.

There was a dead silence as she finished reading.

Pansy looked at her expectantly, as did Daphne. Blaise lost the smile on his face as he took in the stiff posture of the muggle and her hands shaking. But what really set his stomach turning uncomfortably was the frozen look on Daniel's face. It was a total mix of shock and foreboding.

He was moving towards her before he could even comprehend the action, mirrored second by Draco.

"Daniels…"

"Well?" Pansy asked fervently.

"Who's the letter from?" Daphne continued.

"It's a letter from home." she responded tonelessly. Pansy picked up on it as quick as Blaise and Draco did, but Daphne and Millicent seemed to not notice.

"Who was it from?" Millicent asked curiously. Pansy caught Blaise's eye for a split second, and could see the concern shining in them as well as in Malfoy's. Something was terribly wrong.

Her eyes jolted up and connected to Draco's. She looked about ready to faint.

"It's my brother…h-he's dead."

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><p><span><strong>AN****: Alright, there you have it. Now since I'm still in school, I can't make any promises of when the next chapter will be up - but know I am still here, and will try to get back into my once-a-month pattern - more if the writing muse takes me. **

**- LoVeRsOfLiFe**


	17. Merlin Help Us: The Star-Blessed Child

**A/N****: 10/31/14. My wonderful fans I am baaaaackkk! No – Wait! I come bearing treats – I have treats! It's been a looong time guys and I'm sorry, but you know no matter how long it takes me to do an update, you at least KNOW you're getting an update. I NEVER abandon a story, and that isn't gonna start now, but in the sake of the Halloween spirit, I've given you loyal followers the next chapter as a treat, BUT you only get a preview as a trick! Mwahahahaha!**

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><p>"<em>We've all got our demons, and we all struggle daily to fight them. No matter how big or small, we've got our support systems to help us heal. Our friends and family; they're our net, and they're there to catch us when we fall. If you don't maintain ties, you break them; and the last thing you want is to have a net with broken ties catching you when you fall.<em>"

Is it strange that I didn't have a nightmare?

That when I finally could think of nothing else, and my eyes could no longer stay open that I actually had a dream. I dreamt of a time and place where everything was right as it should; where the people I loved were alive, and the weather was nice and warm.

…How I used to love the warmth.

The dream chased the tail of a remnant past life I once had back in my homeland. A fond memory I'd cherish long into adulthood. The sun was at its peak in the afternoon and the heat unbearable to those nonnative to the country's climate. I was seven years old at the time, and would often play by the cliffs near the ocean. I was an expert climber, and was always looking to test the limits in my abilities by scaling a slippery wall from a ridge, jutting out near the bottom's edge about six feet above the shoreline. With each day I climbed, I'd mark my progress; once I'd make the first slip in my ascent, there in place would be a scratch to account how far I managed from my last mark, until I could one day reach the top onto the family grounds into our gardens.

"_You know, one of these days you're gonna fall from there, and no one will be around to catch you." _It was just as he'd said that my hand slipped, but I quickly regained my bearing and grabbed the last foothold I had used before.

I released a breath of air as I looked up at the spot I lost my grip. I took out a piece of chalk from my skirt pocket and reached up carefully to scratch in my new end point. I frowned, looking down towards the soft sands of the beach cove to see a skinny, darkly tan-skinned boy with bright red curls for hair. He had his hands placed on his hips, looking up at me with starry hazel green eyes, and a frown that matched my own.

"_I almost had it that time,"_ I had whined down at him. _"I could have made it all the way up if you didn't say anything, meany!"_

"_You shouldn't be up there anyway!"_

I blew a raspberry at him from my perch as I started climbing back down, and he stuck his tongue back out at me in return. _"You sound like Nanny Goodwell. If you keep spending so much time with her, you're gonna become an old lady who smells like candles."_ I remember teasing him. He huffed at me from his spot on the sand.

"_Just wait 'til you get back down here, you're gonna get yours!"_ I had smiled at the threat.

"_Go ahead and try, shorty! I can outrun you any day!"_ My childlike self was competitive and spritely.

I remember him smiling at me as I jumped down from the rocks then. _"We'll see about that, you pixie."_

We were so much alike, he and I. Always getting under each other's skins so we could chase one another about until the day dwindled into nothing. We were inseparable at that young age; thick as thieves, two peas in a pod, the other half that made our whole. The two of us together were an unstoppable force that no nursemaid or nanny could keep up with the worst of our tyranny. I was the explorer and he was my partner in crime, following my every need to discover new things, and being the voice that pulled me back whenever it got too dangerous.

As thick as blood made us, we were closer than even that.

_He flopped down on the wet sand beside me as we both laid there panting and laughing between each breath we caught, staring up at the orange sky as the blue faded and the night was pushing through in the afternoon glow._

_He sat up after a while, looking out over the ocean to the falling sun, and as I glanced up at him I saw a small smile on his cherub face as he rubbed his hands through the sand beneath him. I remember this warm feeling in my chest at just living in the moment with him. A soft breeze was blowing through our hair, the dark strands of my own tickling my cheeks as it flew around me, the smell of the ocean and the taste of its salty air when I breathed it in. Laying there I knew we shared the same wavelength; that there was something that tied us together – that kept us grounded or weightless as a feather should we seek the path of flight._

We were one soul.

"_Hey, promise you won't do anything that isn't safe when no one's around,"_ he had asked me with worried eyes. _"I mean it this time, you could really get hurt, and how is anybody supposed to know if you were by yourself?"_

I had smiled at him then. _"But I wouldn't be alone,"_ I had said while sitting up, _"because you'll be there, and you've always caught me when I fell before, so that's not gonna change – ever!" _My words had put a reassuring grin on his face as he said,

"_Yeah, that's right,"_ and then we could hear our nanny calling our names from up the cliff in the gardens, so he grabbed my hand, pulled the both of us to our feet, and ran us in the direction of the stairs that took us up the Cliffside and onto the main land. His bright eyes sparkled back at me as he pulled me along, smiling the whole way there. _"I'll always be there to catch you!"_

I woke up moments after when the sun blinded my sight, scorching the image of the boy's smiling face away into my subconscious as daylight thrust me out of my dream, and back into reality.

Back where that smiling face no longer existed.

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><p>"So listen, I-I was wondering…" the poor boy was working up a sweat just talking to the star-eyed girl. Neville fidgeted on the spot, brushing a shaky hand through his hair, and bouncing his leg with nervous energy as he stared down at his shoes.<p>

He could hear Seamus and Dean snickering from their table a little ways away, and it hardened his resolve a little more as he took a deep breath and looked up again to stare in Karessa's patient eyes once more. He finished where he started then. "If no one's asked you yet – or that is, y-you haven't accepted any offers…maybe you'd like to go to the ball w-with m-me…?"

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><p>Blaise gripped her arm tightly and it stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked at him in bewilderment as he frowned down at her. "You're grieving, and I get that, but you don't have to go about it like this."<p>

"I don't know what you're referring to, Blaise-"

"I can't relate to what you're feeling right now, but I know that in keeping yourself busy, you're not taking the time to think about what's happened. Everyone can see it – it's not just me. The girls are worried about you, as am I – hell, even Draco seems a little wary of you these last few days."

Daniels sighed, shaking his grip from her. "Look, I appreciate you trying to help, but this isn't something I'm willing to talk about right now. I'm…I guess in my mind I'm still trying to process everything and my feelings haven't quite caught up with me yet. But I wish you would all stop walking on eggshells around me."

The Italian crossed his arms. "We wouldn't have to if you were easier to read. I don't know what's going on in your mind, and as far as I know, you haven't even said anything to the headmaster about this either."

"Well sorry I'm not the type to pour my heart out the minute something bad happens in my life." she said bluntly, and he gave her disgruntled look.

"Don't shut me out like this."

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><p>There was a long pause between them as they both stared out into the open night. The wind blew about their forms and she pulled his cloak around her shoulders more tightly to keep the chill out. It was after a moment of standing there that Draco decided he'd leave her be for a while and head back to the party, when she spoke softly to him. He almost missed her words completely as they drifted on the wind while she stared down to the ground in deep thought.<p>

"I'm not fine," she said. Draco was unsure whether she meant to say it to him or herself.

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><p>There was the snap of a twig behind her and Karessa whipped around, but spotted nothing in the darkness of the trees. "Draco, Blaise, is that you?" she said but got no reply.<p>

A cold wind hit her and she got chills down her spine. Holding onto her arms to keep warm she moved forward again, only to have that strange feeling that eyes were watching her and she froze again at the ominous feeling. Something caught her attention to the right and she turned her head at the shadowy figure looming in the distance.

"Hello? Come and make yourself known, or else leave and there won't be any trouble." She said bravely standing her ground. If this was to be the stalker in the school, she'd rather deal with it now without any bystanders to witness the exchange.

"Well now," a gruff voice said from behind her, and Daniels gasped as she quickly turned to face the unexpected voice. The looming figure grinned viciously down at her as a thick arm outstretched to point in her direction. "With an invitation like that, how could we possibly deny the lady an audience, eh gentlemen?"

Her heart froze in her stomach as she heard eerie laughter from around her.

Looking to her left, Karessa saw a tall male figure standing just off to her side with his wand pointed towards her as well. But the curious thing was the black robes he donned on with a pointed hood and a skull mask to cover his features. She knew who these people were, but they weren't the ones originally after her. All the same, they were just as dangerous.

The man smiled at her. "Walking through the forests alone at night could get you hurt," he said, "a lot of evil things go bump in the dark."

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><p><span><strong>AN****: Until next time kiddies! I'll upload the full chapter when it's ready – and it's gonna be a long one ;)**


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